If you had twin identical men, and twin identical women, and you made two couples and they had a kid – would the kids be also like identical twins? But likely with different ages? The two original sets of twins are unrelated btw.

I think that the kids would be like brothers and sisters, despite being actually cousins.

My guess would be no they'd be small differences depending on what genes cam from each parent and it would make no odds they'd still be cousins.

I'm sure there are villages near where I live that'd give you some visual evidence 😯

No

Identical twins can only be borne of the same mother, so no.

If your assumption were true then all chldren in one family would be identical. Genes get mixed up in repoduction (can't remember how) so the only way identical twins get formed is when the embryos get fromed from one egg.

Or something. (O level bioligy is somewhat historic now).

just as different as normal siblings, you get a random selection of the genes of each parent

But they'd look a lot more alike than normal cousins…

Legally the children would be cousins. Genetically they would be siblings.

Yeah they would not be identical, but they would look roughly as similar as siblings.

How would they be genetically siblings they're different parents?

no, but it might alright for spares

but they would look roughly as similar as siblings

ie possibly not at all. I have one brother who is often mistaken for me, and another who is 18st with red hair, freckles and blue eyes

Yup I'm one of 3 brothers we look nothing a like.

I have one brother who is often mistaken for me, and another who is 18st with red hair, freckles and blue eyes

So you're not 18 st with red hair then Simon? 😆

Hmm what did your mum's milkman look like simon? 😉

Hmm what did your mum's milkman look like simon?

hmmm, good question, except the one who looks like me is a twin to the redhead, but I suppose twins can have different fathers…

How would they be genetically siblings they're different parents?

Cos both sets of their respective parents would be identical. Hence genetically, they'd be as close as siblings.

CSI need to pick that one up I think.

Close maybe but siblings no?

They'd be equivalent to siblings from a genetic viewpoint.

e.g. if CSI is anything to go by then there are genetic tests which give the probability that one DNA sample is from a sibling of a second sample. Such tests would identify them as "siblings" with the same confidence rate as actual siblings.

What if the parents are siamese twins?

Makes a little more sense. I don't watch CSI.

What if the parents are siamese twins?

that's just a birth defect, though I think conjoined twins are always identical, though I've heard of the condition where one child is born with the partly developed foetus of another inside it…

There was a pair of conjoined twins on the other day who were effectively one two-headed girl. There was basically one pelvis with one torso coming out of it, but the torso sort of partly spread apart just enough to have to heads on top of it.

They were 16 so were driving, which the neurologists found fascinating. They could do everything normally. However they couldn't offer a good explanation of who controlled which limb. They just sort of managed automatically with the co-ordination etc.

They clearly had one pelvis so presumably one set of genitals and reproductive organs. I guess it didn't really matter to which twin they belonged…

So these sibling-equivalent cousins could legally get married and have children then?

What was their asking price? I have a ceramic piggy bank and a hammer. I've been waiting for a moment like this 🙂

I've been waiting for a moment like this

I think your remark is in extremely poor taste, however one might speculate that many men would prefer women with less heads rather than more, given the opportunities for nagging…

You have two sets of every gene, one set goes into the mans sperm or womens egg. The selection of those genes is random. This is called meiosis. So the answer is no. Identicle twins come from a fertilised egg that splits early and forms two identicle twins. They are effectively clones. Non identicle twins come from a women producing two eggs which are fertilised by two sperms so they are equivalent to to normal brothers or sisters. So your exmple they would be no more identicle than normal brothers or sisters.

I realised they'd not be identical after I posted. But they WOULD be just like siblings, no? Much closer than cousins usually are.

It's identicAL by the way 🙂

I think your remark is in extremely poor taste

Coming from you…let me decide….compliment 🙂

But they WOULD be just like siblings, no?

yes