Twins Research Australia

The Insight program on SBS-TV is looking to speak with twins who are disagreeing on who owns a memory from their mutual past. Open to identical and fraternal twins, aged 18 and above, Australia-wide. Please note this is not a TRA study but an SBS-TV initiative. If this is you, please get in touch directly with [email protected] See in the comments below some background on the experience of twins and 'disputed memories'.

Why are disputed memories common in twins? And what does this tell us about how we all form memories?

'Stealing the past': A spat between twins leads to a theory of disputed memories : Short Wave It's not unusual for siblings to quibble over ownership of something — a cherished toy, a coveted seat in the car — or whose fault something is. If you're Mercedes Sheen, you not only spent your childhood squabbling with your sister over your memories, you then turn it into your research career....

👉A sneak peek at our new study starting soon👈
Thank you to our wonderful twin members, Tracey and Tania, for sharing their experiences with breast cancer. Register your interest in our new breast cancer and mammogram research at www.twins.org.au
https://youtu.be/vw-JH6OJdrM?si=raNThcN-1vKMytEs

New twin study looking at ways to predict woman's breast cancer | 9 News Australia Researchers from the University of Melbourne are looking at new ways to predict a woman's breast cancer risk based on mammograms, with a new study focusing o...

Supporting twins and families through their bereavement process is extremely important, but there are no online support groups based in Australia for twinless twins. Now one of our TRA members, who tragically lost her twin recently, has taken it upon herself to change this.

Dana has created a page https://www.facebook.com/groups/7509773702379405 that she describes as “a virtual haven for twinless twins”. She wishes to connect with others who truly comprehend the twin bond, and where empathy and a safe space for healing is offered.

As Dana explains, “In this space, we honour our twins’ memories…. Let’s turn grief into resilience and celebrate the bond that transcends physical presence”.

This is very new to Dana, and this FB group is a work in progress. She would love other twinless twins to join for virtual meet-ups, occasional in-person ones (around Australia), and discussions. Please note that Twins Research Australia (TRA) doesn’t mediate or have any input into this private FB group. Any queries should be directed to Dana via her FB page.

For parents dealing with grief, Dana welcomes you to join as well. You may also find support via the Australian Multiple Birth Association and its bereavement information at https://www.amba.org.au/support/information/bereavement

The Miracle Babies Foundation also has information at https://www.miraclebabies.org.au/content/loss-of-your-twin-or-triplet-baby/gjsr3c And its “The Butterfly Initiative” works alongside "The Butterfly Project" in the UK (https://www.neonatalbutterflyproject.org/resources/links-support-groups/)

Our TRA website also lists support services at https://twins.org.au/twins-and-families/support-services/

We wish Dana the very best with this initiative. It is very much needed, and her aim is to build a supportive community for twinless twins and families in Australia.

A University of Utah study found that women who deliver twins live longer, have more children than expected, have babies at shorter intervals over a longer time, and are older at their last birth. Read more here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110510211550.htm

Have you caught this Netflix series, following the lives of 22 twin pairs as they participate in a study to explore how certain foods impact the body?

Watch You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment | Netflix Official Site Identical twins change their diets and lifestyles for eight weeks in a unique scientific experiment designed to explore how certain foods impact the body.

We look forward to supporting Multiple Birth Awareness Week brought to you by the Australian Multiple Birth Association. This year's theme is 👉 Multiples Unfiltered 👈 Tell your story via AMBA's FB page below 👇

“This [twin] study is interesting because we have further insight into how much of our life experiences modulate certain brain processes, which to a certain degree we have more control over, versus your biology, which you can’t change,” say the researchers. “Knowing what areas of our brain function are linked strongly to our environment can help us develop personalised intervention approaches to promote higher mental wellbeing.” Thanks to the TRA participants in the TWIN-E Study for their wonderful volunteer contribution to this research 👏🙏

Nature vs nurture: shedding light on heritable brain activity A twin study has revealed the complex interplay between genetics and environment in how our brains navigate emotional and cognitive tasks.

Twins Research Australia congratulates its long-time International Patron on becoming Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark. Queen Mary became Patron of Twins Research Australia in 2013 in her former position as Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. She has been the International Patron of both TRA and the Danish Twin Registry.

"She has brought a unique perspective to our work, combining her interests in health and medical research, her experiences as a mother of twins, and a heritage shared across two countries – Australia and Denmark," TRA Director, Professor John Hopper said.

"As Queen of Denmark, she will have many additional, new and evolving responsibilities," Prof Hopper said. "Her office has advised that all of her patronages under her former position as Crown Princess are now on hold. We will be advised in coming months whether it is possible for her to continue her patronage of TRA and the Danish Twin Registry.

“We have highly valued her contribution to twin research globally for more than a decade. We know she will bring the same passion, dedication and unique approach to her new role, and we wish her every success."

Photo: Dennis Stenild, Kongehuset ©

🎄🎁😎 BEST WISHES FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON & 2024 😎🎁🎄
Our heartfelt gratitude to our members and supporters for your help throughout the year. None of our research would have been possible without twins, HOMs, and their families. We wish you and your family a happy, safe and relaxing festive season – and we look forward to sharing many exciting new initiatives with you in 2024.

Please note, TRA is closing for the Christmas/New Year holiday period from Friday 15 December 2023, returning on Wednesday 17 January 2024. We thank you for your patience while we respond to any queries.

"The phrase 'twin loneliness' wasn't something I had ever heard until recently, when I started reading about it more," says Sydney's Gabrielle Duffy. "It's helped me understand the complex emotions I've felt over the years."

When I was separated from my twin sister, the pain and loneliness I felt was all-consuming - ABC Everyday Growing up, my twin sister and I were inseparable. The longest we had ever spent apart was 24 hours. When Gabrielle moved to Sydney as an adult, the pain I felt was all-consuming.

‘I didn’t want to commit to the idea that they were all actually alive’
📌 FULL STORY: 7news.link/3sG6b3T

SBS TV's INSIGHT program is looking for studio guests for an episode about ➡️ FATEFUL DECISIONS ⬅️ If you and your twin were very close or lived very similar lives until a decision that led you down divergent paths, INSIGHT would like to speak to you.

They are open to hearing from anyone aged over 18 years, especially those with a big contrast between their lives before and after the 'fateful' decision. If this describes you, please reach out to Connor at INSIGHT for a confidential chat about your experiences.

You'll need to be at SBS's Sydney studio on the date of the recording - see below. SBS covers the cost of travel and accommodation for guests travelling to Sydney.

Please note: this is NOT a Twins Research Australia event. We are sharing these details for twins who may be interested in participating. Please direct all queries to SBS INSIGHT as below:

Date: Wednesday 6th December
Time: 5pm arrival, 6pm recording begins, 7:45pm recording ends
Location: SBS studio, 14 Herbert Street, Artarmon
Contact: [email protected] or 0439789455

Parents, Marni and Lee Cochrane, explain their experiences with a condition known medically as Twin Anaemia Polycythaemia Sequence, or TAPS.

After her mother died, Marni received 'devastating' news about her unborn twins. Now they 'amaze her every day' After seven years trying for a family, Marni Cochrane was more than halfway through her first pregnancy with identical twin girls when they were diagnosed with a rare and potentially life-threatening medical condition.

📣📣 Calling all twins and multiples aged 18+ 📣📣
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO THE HEALTH OF ALL AUSTRALIANS!
With pressures on Australia's healthcare system, many people are finding it difficult to access health services. This study seeks to understand Australians use of the healthcare system across a range of services.

Multiples can show us if and how they access various services, whether these behaviours are found in families, and what part genetic and environmental influences play.

The study’s aim is to identify ways to encourage healthcare participation, thereby saving lives and improving the health of all Australians.

Called the Health Behaviours Study, it is open to identical and fraternal twins and higher order multiples living in Australia. Please join us in this critical research. Find out more:
https://twins.org.au/2023/06/23/twins-health-behaviours-and-screening-questionnaire/

Twins are helping researchers to understand where musical talent comes from. Is it nature or nurture?

Do musical parents have musical children? Researchers have some answers - ABC Classic Are you musical because it's in your genes, or is it from the environment you grew up in? A new scientific review is trying to answer this age-old question.

"A walk through the streets of this village reveals a baffling and wondrous anomaly – an unusually high number of twin births. Kodinhi, often dubbed the 'Twin Town', stands as one of the world's most intriguing genetic mysteries."

Indian Village of Twins: Kodinhi Unexplained Phenomenon Nestled in the lush landscapes of Kerala, India's southwestern coastal state, is the seemingly ordinary village of Kodinhi. However, a walk through

How identical twins influence each other's self-perception Whenever people learn together with others, they draw comparisons. Usually, a contrast effect occurs that immediately affects one's perception of one's own academic abilities. If others perform better, one assesses one's own abilities as worse. If others perform less well, one perceives oneself as m...

Why Identical Twins Don't Have The Same Fingerprints It’s great for forensic experts, but why is it the case?

Ten per cent of the year 12 cohort at this Sydney school are multiple-birth siblings 😮

Five sets of twins, two sets of triplets: the school where the HSC presents identical issues Guardian Australia visits the Sydney high school where multiple-birth siblings make up more than 10% of the year 12 cohort

Seconds into Taylah's 8-week ultrasound, the technician gasped. “Stop saying ‘times four’; think four squared”: the cost of quadruplets.

This week is Multiple Birth Awareness Week and we join with the Australian Multiple Birth Association in advocating for 'equality for multiple birth families!'

Join me in supporting the Equality for Multiple Birth Families Campaign In November 2022, AMBA launched a report 'Equality of Support for Parents of Multiples' which clearly demonstrated that parents of multiples need more financial and hands-on support. Parents of multiples are blessed with unimaginable joy, but also unavoidable challenges. Every year there are approxi...

South Australia is hosting its first Multiple Birth Festival on the 23rd April in the City of Unley. It's shaping up as a great day out for multiple-birth families with a highlight being the fun competitions. And the organiser, Rotary Club of Unley, is kindly offering half-price tickets to TRA followers. Find out more at www.multiplebirthfestival.com.au

Thanks to our Deputy Director, Prof Jeff Craig, who contributed to this story:

How Can Identical Twins — Including the Conjoined Ndiaye Sisters — Be So Different? What the Science Says Conjoined twins Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye have wildly different personalities, like many other identical twins. Researchers think their differences may be the very reason they exist as twins.

Why don’t identical twins have the same fingerprints? New study provides clues.

Why don’t identical twins have the same fingerprints? New study provides clues Waves of chemical signals spread across developing fingers, creating one-of-a-kind patterns of ridges

This report is a must-read: Equality of Support for Parents of Multiples (see link below). We congratulate the Australian Multiple Birth Association on the report's wide public release and TRA joins with AMBA in calling for more support for parents of multiples.

"Our long-term and ongoing research supports the key issues raised by the report, principally, that multiple-birth babies and their families face serious disadvantage including greater risk of pregnancy complications and premature birth, infant development delays and special needs, as well as financial, psychological and social support challenges," says TRA Director, Professor John Hopper.

"All of us involved must work together to bring urgently-needed change to policies and practices that hinder equality for parents of multiples."

How can you help?
Download the report here: https://www.amba.org.au/news/equality Please share this post and others from AMBA's FB page as widely as possible (for example, with your extended family, friends, school, workplace and community) as people are largely unaware of the state of support for parents of multiples.