Twins with Different Skin Color Genes
The two girls you see in the picture here are twins. Born to a mother of Jamaican-English descent and a father of German descent, Alicia and Jasmin Singerl were born in May 2006. They look completely different.
Their mother, Natasha Knight:
When they were born you could see there was a colour difference straight away. We couldn’t believe it.
Alicia’s eyes were brown and her hair was dark. Jasmin’s eyes were blue and her hair was white - you could hardly see her hair or her eyebrows.
The Sunday Telegraph is calling this a “million-to-one medical miracle.”
Ahem. Statistically, this is perhaps a very unusual occurrence. But a medical miracle? Unlikely.
These girls are just like any other sibling pair because they are non-identical, born of two different fertilized eggs. That their mother has mixed parentage makes it even more likely for them to inherit a mixture of different genes that determine skin color. As a matter of fact, their five-year-old sister Taylah has blue eyes, blonde hair, and light olive complexion. Sort of in the middle of the the spectrum for the Knight-Singerl family.
In the process of meiosis when egg cells are formed in the mother, a random selection of genes will be allocated to each egg. The set of chromosomes in each egg cell is unique. We’re focusing on the twins’ mother here because the father is assumed to have a homogenous set of genes for white skin color.
Genetics experts say that in most cases a mixed-race woman’s eggs will be a mixture of genes for both black and white skin.
However, much more rarely, the eggs may contain genes for predominantly one skin colour. In this case, Ms Knight has released two such eggs - one with predominantly dark pigmentation genes and one with predominantly fair genes.
Wild and unlikely, yes. But a miracle? Not quite.
NB: Razib at ScienceBlogs’ Gene Expression has more about another set of contrasting twin girls (but in their case, both the parents were mixed race).
Update: Another pair of black and white twins have been identified - the Richardson twin boys of Britain.
Technorati Tags: michael singerl, natasha knight, alicia, jasmin, twins, skin color, genetics, genes, dna, health, weird
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POSTED IN: General Genetics and Health
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53 opinions for Twins with Different Skin Color Genes
Tris Hussey
Oct 22, 2006 at 3:57 am
Can you imagine the school-yard discussions? Yeah we’re twins … no you’re not you don’t alike … we’re fraternal … you’re not! You’re black and the other is white!
Hopefully they won’t wind up on Jerry Springer or something in the future.
the brownh0rnet
Oct 22, 2006 at 7:48 am
Has the twins’ paternity been officially established? Maybe mom enjoys the occasional 3way….
Kate
Oct 22, 2006 at 10:02 am
“Medical miracle” also shows a pretty shocking lack of cultural knowledge. There was a documentary released in England about 5 years ago about another pair of twins in precisely the same situation.
Instead of saying “Oh, strange,” the professionals should be turning the girls’ parents toward all of the resources available to show them how other families live with this in Europe. I, though, also find myself wondering if they shouldn’t be looking at communities in the Caribbean and South America (even Hawaii) where cultural mixing for generations makes people in the same family look quite different from each other in terms of complexion.
Kate
Oct 22, 2006 at 10:03 am
Oh, and, circumstances aside, they are both so cute! Just absolutely beautiful, healthy little babies.
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 22, 2006 at 2:40 pm
Tris: Your mind thinks in tangents….
the brownhornet: Yes, I suppose it’s possible but in my opinion, being simultaneously impregnated by two different me would be just as unlikely given the probabilities.
Kate: I agree! They’re not a freak show for goodness sakes, but two beautiful little girls.
razib
Oct 22, 2006 at 8:02 pm
i cranked the numbers:
Well, if each child is a fraternal twin the chances of the outcomes are independent, so you multiply across, 1/16 X 1/16 = 1/256, or one out of a 256 chances to get this combination, but…you have to double it because there is a case where the colors might be reversed, so it is actually 1 out of 128, or 0.8% of fraternal twins with this combination of parents would come out like this. So to get to 1 in a million you need to mutiply out by the fraternal twinning rate, and this exhibits interpopulational variance as well as dependency on diet. In Japan it is 1 in a 1000 while in some African nations it is 15 in 1000. Using the Japanese fraternal twinning rate you get 1 in 128,000 chance, and the African twinning rate a 1 in 8,500 chance. So not quite 1 in a million!
Tris Hussey
Oct 22, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Yes … multidimensional, tangental thinking. How many ideas can I process at once … that’s a question.
Julie Ann Vancil
Oct 22, 2006 at 9:01 pm
God’s blessings on the happy family!
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 22, 2006 at 9:38 pm
Thanks, razib. I remember you had calculated that but was too lazy to pull the numbers. :P
river2sea72
Oct 22, 2006 at 9:38 pm
My hubby has a twin sister. They still get asked if they’re identical.
razib
Oct 23, 2006 at 2:49 am
Thanks, razib. I remember you had calculated that but was too lazy to pull the numbers.
just to be clear, the calculation above was for this pair of twins. i also did the previous pair, who were much closer to ‘1 in a million.’
ShadZee » Blog Archive » Twins with Different Skin Color Genes
Oct 23, 2006 at 6:18 am
[…] The two girls you see in the picture here are twins. Born to a mother of Jamaican-English descent and a father of German descent, Alicia and Jasmin Singerl were born in May 2006. They look completely different. (via: Twins) Bookmark to: […]
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 23, 2006 at 8:52 am
Oops. Sorry. I figured that out last night when I was reading SB GNXP.
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 28, 2006 at 11:14 am
For the person who left a comment here all in CAPS, I’m sorry but I accidentally deleted it. If you come back, would you mind sharing your thoughts with us again? Thank you!!
Genetics and Health » Black and White Twins Layton and Kaydon Richardson
Oct 28, 2006 at 9:01 pm
[…] It’s official. Twins born with different skin colors are not “one in a million” genetic miracles. Razib did the calculations and we’re collecting the data. […]
MomOfBlack-White Twins2
Oct 30, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Yet another “one in a million”? Hardly. I am a mixed-race mother of twins that look “black” and “white” with the same eye/skin/hair color differences as these girls and the other recently noted cases of black/white twins in Britain. (Like the others - mine have one “white” father, no IVF or hospital mixups.) Where we live in the southern part of the US, passersby are surprised, but not shocked. Here in the States as elsewhere in the world, centuries of intermixing (voluntary and otherwise) have produced a continuous stream of “different” siblings. Socio-cultural prejudices - not genetics - label children like mine “different” and make our families nearly invisible. The internet and non-stop news simply provide visibility into a phenomenon as old as mankind itself - genetic diversity. Thanks to all contributors here for helping to clarify the scientific and mathematical ignorance behind these “news” stories.
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Oct 30, 2006 at 11:45 pm
Mom of Black-White Twins: Thank you for sharing your experience! Now that you mention it, it is certainly very common for siblings to have different skin tones. I can think of several off the top of my head.
Lucy
Nov 7, 2006 at 12:31 am
Their are twins in my school who are black and white, But the only diffrence is they say they have diffrent fathers, Now can someone please explain to me how do twins have diffrent fathers… unless the mom is some kind of freak.
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Nov 7, 2006 at 12:47 pm
Lucy: In some very very rare cases, twins have been found to come from two distinct eggs fertilized by sperm from different fathers. Nothing freaky about it, but very rare. :)
Genetics and Health » Tangled Bank #66: Science Fest
Nov 8, 2006 at 7:21 pm
[…] It’s a wise child who knows his own father at postbloggery (More about black and white twins.) […]
Trainer
Nov 17, 2006 at 11:30 pm
How about giving birth at the same time( once) with 2 guys who have diffrent colour of skin.
Would it possible to make above situation ???
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Nov 19, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Trainer: Definitely possible but another rare possibility.
PremKhan
Nov 25, 2006 at 7:17 am
Siblings of different complexions are quite common in many countries like India, Mauritius and East Indies even when the parents are of the same skin colour. I have seen in many cases especially Indian(Asian) families where both the parents are dark-skinned but some or most of their children pale and fair-skinned. And it happens almost all the time. Or the father pale-brown and the mother dark-brown but their children a variety of skin complexions. Indian(Asian) famillies deal with siblings with different complexions as if its a norm.
Frank
Feb 23, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I just adopted twins, one black male and one white female. Not sure if the children have the same dads or not? How possible is this, that the children have 2 seperate dads?
any help on this would be great. This is all new to my wife and I.
Janeen
Feb 26, 2007 at 5:01 pm
I am a bi-racial woman (Polish, German mother & black father) with dark olive skin. I am the mother of fraternal twin boys who are 8 yrs old and have different skin color. My husband is Irish/German and very fair skinned. I also have a 9 yr old daughter who has very fair skin, brown hair and eyes. My guess is that this will become more common as our society continues to blend.
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Feb 26, 2007 at 10:21 pm
PremKhan: Very interesting to know!
Frank: The likelihood is quite slim that the twins have different fathers but that depends on the mother’s history. The only way you’d be able to confirm that is to have a DNA test done on both twins.
Janeen: How interesting! And I also agree that the blending of races will inevitably result in siblings who may look more like one parent than the other and not look like each other much at all. Kind of like my sister and me! ;)
Frank
Feb 26, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Does anyone know the odds (in numbers) to what it is to have a 2 different fathers? I hear the odds are 1-1million with the same parents (is this correct as well)?
Hsien Hsien Lei, PhD
Feb 27, 2007 at 12:02 am
Frank: You can find stats on bipaternity in this post at Gene Expression but estimates show that it occurs for 1 pair in 400 dizygotic twins in white women. And according to Razib’s calculations, genetically the odds are 1 in 500,000 for different race parents to have twins that are two different colors.
Frank
Feb 27, 2007 at 12:06 am
Do you know any good websites that parents of twins use?
andy
Jun 25, 2007 at 9:28 pm
I am married to an African American (very light) and I am caucasion. We just gave birth to our first child who was born very pale with bright red hair and blue eyes. How could this happen? I believe that his maternal grandfather is caucasion and native american.
Dee
Jul 9, 2007 at 9:43 am
It’s totally common for siblings to have different skin tones for people of color. Both my parents are African American-My mom is very very light skinned and my dad is very very dark skinned and I have 5 siblings altogether and our skin tones literally make up every color in between my moms complexion and my dad’s complexion. Besides that, the reason people never question whether we are brothers and sisters is b/c we all have the same distinct features otherwise like big lips, big eyes, lots of dark hair, same shape eyebrows, etc. The only other thing that varies about us is that we each have different noses which is kinda neat how that worked out.
Sara
Aug 16, 2007 at 9:32 am
my grandmother is very dark toned, however, both her parents had blonde hair and blue eyes, and my grandmother’s children all had red hair and blue eyes, so im wondering how is it that certain genes can skip several generations…and then come up generations later?
Latu
Aug 19, 2007 at 9:36 am
Just studing this and it is very possible to have 2 fathers. DZ twins if mother had intercourse around the time of ovulation with two differen men.
This happened before during the Nazi time and also other proven examples. Yes Frank best to check the DNA
Tiffany
Aug 25, 2007 at 2:50 pm
Hi,
This is amazing thing for both children to born of different skin tone but not unlikely. But I do have a question that no one has been able to answer. what is the percentage that two African American parents can create a child of white skin tone, blonde hair and brown eyes?
I’m curious!?!
Tiffany C.
Oct 8, 2007 at 8:15 pm
I am a white female and my husband is black. Our first son is the “normal mixed color” then we had twin girls 11 mo. later.. we have one the same color as our son and one more fair skinned than me!! It is very beautiful having a rainbow colored family!!
created by randomness? « isn’t it a wonder, how life came to be
Oct 20, 2007 at 5:02 am
[…] what happened with the twins of different colour? genetists say it goes’s like this. the mother and father themselves were mixed. the […]
Sapphi
Dec 10, 2007 at 9:19 pm
This topic of skin color inheritance in families is a very fascinating. I am a very light skinned black woman. My dad’s mother is mixed somewhere as she had light complexion, curly blondish hair and grey-blue eyes. My mother is very dark skinned black woman. With all this I came lighter than my dad and my other siblings range in skin tone from very light to very dark.
I never really thought much about how this happened until recently I had a baby girl with a very dark-skinned man and she has his exact skin tone at 4 months old and is perhaps set to become darker than he is. I have done a lot of reading and can see therefore how this can happen. Many other people don’t though and the questions and ignorant comments never end. I am constantly being told that this could never be my baby! Imagine the cheek!
Mr. billt
Dec 28, 2007 at 10:32 am
Did you all notice that besides east Indians, that black families also have siblings of varying complextions, who are not mixed….I guess its typical for people of African and East Asian descent to produce these kinds of things..Its only rare to us whites, well because were all born pale pink
sam
Jan 30, 2008 at 12:19 am
I am a twin and for people out there who dont know it works is that when you are born from two different eggs then you most likely will have some of one parents genes or half and half. I have a twin brother and when we were born he was white colored and i was dark color no we are not mixed we are all black with native american in us how ever dont sit there and say that the come could have had relations with two guys at the same time yes that is posible but read and get educated on how the twins work and are created
Nancy
Feb 10, 2008 at 7:00 am
The different colored siblings is not just for darker races. My sibings and I vary in color. I am very pale and burn easily in the sun. My brother and sister are darker. My sister has six kids and they run the gammet on color. So some of us understand.
mandy
Feb 19, 2008 at 5:12 am
I’m white and have very pale skin. My husband is black and his skin tone is darker. We have 2 beautiful daughters togther one’s 8yrs and other 1yr old and they both look white. They’ve took after me as far as skin tone,hair color is brownish blonde and same texture as mine an very loose curls and their eyes are hazel. I think it’s amazing.
ally
May 22, 2008 at 10:53 am
the only thing that matters is that your happy and that they are happy :)
Dee
Jun 24, 2008 at 2:59 am
They are gorgeous babies. I am sure they are very active toddlers now. I do wonder what they look like 2 years later?!
I do agree with a few comments above; there are many countries where people have mixed for generations and generations. In addition, there have been many continents and countries that have been colonized and many families do experience this very same thing. I guess it is more dramatic when we have babies who are twins of two distinct races.
My siblings and I are very distinct in our skin tone. My mom is mixed and my dad isn’t so all three of us look distinctly different and not just in terms of skin color, but also eye color. The same thing applies to my son and daughter. She has curly hair, with dark brown eyes and brown skin, while my son was born with grayish blue eyes, blond lashes, brows and blond hair as well as a white complexion. However, we knew that this would happen, because both his natural family and my natural family are reflective of our nuclear family. I know that this is not unique for many families around the world. However, it is even more amazing when it happens simultaneously. I guess.
: ))
Dee
Jun 24, 2008 at 3:11 am
They are gorgeous babies. I am sure they are very active toddlers now. I do wonder what they look like 2 years later?!
My siblings and I are very distinct in our skin tone. My mom is mixed and my dad isn’t so all three of us look distinctly different and not just in terms of skin color, but also eye color. The same thing applies to my son and daughter. She has curly hair, with dark brown eyes and brown skin, while my son was born with grayish blue eyes, blond lashes, brows and blond hair as well as a white complexion. However, we knew that this would happen, because both his natural family and my natural family are reflective of our nuclear family. I know that this is not unique for many families around the world. However, it is even more amazing when it happens simultaneously. I guess.
: ))
Rosa
Jul 3, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I am the mother of one-year-old twin girls. One was born fair skinned like me the other of a cinnamon complexion like daddy. I too wonder how it will be in the playground, and how it will be for them later as they begin to look on how to identify with the outside world. However, I do take comfort that our rainbow circle is a loving and supportive one.
shaun
Jul 18, 2008 at 12:50 am
I am mixed black and white, but I think it’s peculiar how most of the people on here say “very, very light skinned black person”. Ummm, it’s called mixed. You might identify with black culture more, but you aren’t black if there are white people in your family or one of your parents are white. I just hope these interacial couples remember to tell their children this. Even if you are dark skinned and come from a mixed couple, doesn’t mean you are only black because you skin is.
Laura
Jul 18, 2008 at 2:29 am
Aside from all the fascinating genetics, it is wonderful to see. Isn’t this the way we are meant to see everyone- different colors, same family.
Mothers’ Lounge » Blog Archive » Black and white twins: Brothers from the same mother
Jul 18, 2008 at 3:00 am
[…] Knight, of Australia, welcomed a blue-eyed blond baby girl and her sister, who has brown hair, eyes and dark skin in 2006. Knight’s older daughter has blond hair, blue eyes and light olive skin. Knight is of […]
Jane Diddoli
Jul 18, 2008 at 3:15 am
This is no big deal, as I know of a few Euro American couples who have twins and one looks like the mother and one looks like the father. And, I know a Chinese couple with the same. The only difference with their story is that they are couples of the same race. So, why isn’t one of these couples’ story on here? Is it an issue of the color of skin that you all find so important? Do you think this couple is better than others just because they have an interracial marriage? Excuse me, but this does not make them any better than anyone else. And, if you hate pure white people so much, then why don’t you just print a story of a pure Chinese couple with twins that don’t look alike? I hope you get my point!
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Jul 18, 2008 at 4:09 am
[…] yet another mother had twin baby girls in Australia with one girl looking black and another looking […]
Charles L King
Jul 18, 2008 at 4:11 am
The mixing of the races is inevitable and an important part of the development of mankind and his civilization in the world. What is wonderful and exciting to people who have travelled the world or whose minds have been opened up by education, like Angelina Jolie and Obama’s mother, is the delightful range of visual possibilities for the human race. Variety is eagerly sought after as an important aspect of beauty in all the arts. Every musician and every painter is well aware of this. As a teacher who has often been confronted by a classroom full of children ranging in colour from pale blond to obsidian I have been entertained and enchanted by the silent music of their harmonious skin tones as they proceeded along their individual developmental paths. Blessed are those of you who can hear that music of racial harmony towards which we have been pointed, and for those who are tone deaf to the possibilities of delight these produce, I weep for you. I expect you will find your beauty in other areas.
Nsikanson
Jul 18, 2008 at 1:26 pm
God is at work, He’s showing people whose god is science that there is no difference between white and black persons. All races are the handiwork of God and they are equal before Him.
Knee Exercises
Jul 19, 2008 at 6:11 am
That’s so wierd but awesome at the same time. It would be interesting to see how these twins will select their friends, what differences they will share in society and how they will come to accept people of the other race. I’m sure that this is an eye opener to many as well because it is even more proof that people of different color are indeed the same.
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