It takes two to tango
Published November 10, 2008 | Kodinhi village in Malapuram district is keeping the genetic fraternity on its toes by presenting a unique problem- an extraordinarily high concentration of twins! Flaunting more than 100 pairs of twins, mainly identical and of the same sex, the village has already caught the national attention. The village school too has about two dozen pairs of twins, which often give teachers a hard time identifying them.
This tiny hamlet with only a population of less than 14,000 has been a beehive of research activities in the recent past. Trying to unravel the mystery behind this strange phenomenon, scientists from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Centre for Human Growth and Development, Pune, and genetic paediatricians have already scrutinised the food habits, social set up and many other factors such as climate and heredity aspects.
The villagers are also baffled by this strange phenomenon, which has taken the village by storm since the last decade or so. The village elders opine that there has been increasing instances of multiple pregnancies in the recent past. Whatever be the actual reason behind this interesting phenomenon, it is giving piping hot ideas for rumour mills, which churn out eerie stories and assumptions.
Though there were strong demands from the villagers for a detailed scientific investigation into this strange phenomenon, nothing concrete has come up so far from the concerned civic and the health authorities of the village.