# Everyone has a twin?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 1, 2001, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988 "2001-01-01T10:10:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988/21 "2022-09-14T21:32:42Z")

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> [@Lissa](#):
>
> They don’t mean that everyone has a LITTERAL twin

Is that “as from the same litter”?

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**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988/22 "2022-09-14T21:51:52Z")

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We may never know, since @Lissa hasn’t been seen on the board in 15 years.

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988/23 "2022-09-14T21:52:35Z")

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Probably just lurking anonomously. Dopers never really leave.

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**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2022, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988/24 "2022-09-15T01:25:18Z")

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I guess think of specific genetics as being like those “identi-kit” things for police to construct a picture of a suspect. Certain genetics determines chin shape, cheekbones, jaw squareness, cheek pudge, eyebrow ridge, etc. This would explain why siblings have a family resemblance, but everyone inherits two of everything, one may be dominant or both may mix to produce face characteristics. If you happen to end up with the same or similar collection of these genes as your doppelganger, your face will look very similar. Of course, accidentally having the same genes for face does not guarantee anything else is similar, from personality to IQ components to height or predisposition to obesity…

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**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2022, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everyone-has-a-twin/47988/25 "2022-09-16T18:50:23Z")

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> [@Tuckerfan](#):
>
> Huh. It only took 21 YEARS to get an answer. [Extreme Lookalikes May Share Much Deeper Ties Than We Ever Realized : ScienceAlert](https://www.sciencealert.com/extreme-lookalikes-may-share-much-deeper-ties-than-we-ever-realized)
> 
> So, yeah, it turns out that people who DO look alike have a number of genetic similarities.

But…those genetic similarities are related to appearance.

And the habits and inclinations that they share _also_ contribute to appearance (obesity, etc.).

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