There’s already something magical about twins, but a tiny village in India is adding a whole new level of mystery to multiple births.
With just 2000 families making up the village of Kodinhi, it’s an extraordinary anomaly that there are more than 450 sets of twins. In a country that has one of the lowest rates of twins in the world, it has the scientific world baffled.
Twin town
In Australia, the rate of twin births is on the rise, but that’s been linked to a higher use of IVF and the increasing age of mums. In Kodinhi, however, it’s not so cut and dried – the women who are having twins conceive naturally, are young and had them in their first pregnancy.
A doctor who’s studying the twin phenomenon believes there may be an environmental factor that’s causing the women’s ovaries to produce dizygotic eggs.
“Unlike in the West and other locations where twinning is also rife, in Kodinhi the situation is different. There are no artificial methods used, no IVF or contraceptive pills and women do not resort to clomiphene citrate oral medication to promote ovulation,” Sribjiu told DW.
Other researchers have visited the village, collecting saliva and hair samples from the twins to delve into their DNA.
“While many say that it is genetic, there are also speculations that a particular element in the air or water in the village could be the cause of this phenomenon. As far as our study is concerned, we have collected the samples from people in Kodinhi and is in the process of collecting samples from the other communities too. As of now, the phenomenon is yet to get a scientific explanation,” Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies Professor E Preetham told The News Minute.
The oldest set of twins in the village are 70-year-old sisters Kunhi Pathuty and Pathuty. “This is God’s blessing. That is all. Science can prove nothing,” they say. “We are now witnessing triplets and quadruplets being born. Don’t seek too many answers.”
Images: Haunted India
