Twin studies are also unravelling the heritability of various aspects of human personality.
Another worry is that, despite the fact that most twin studies have been extensively replicated, they may be subject to systematic flaws.
But this cloak-and-dagger approach suggests that, while twin studies have come a long way, they have not shaken off their controversial past quite yet.
Twin studies, which are a good way to ask these questions, are back in fashion, and many twins are enthusiastic participants in this research.
But while twin studies are useful for establishing the extent to which a characteristic is heritable, they do not finger the particular genes at work.
That insight turned out to be key, although it was not until 1924 that it was used to formulate what is known as the twin rule of pathology, and twin studies really got going.
Twin studies also show the importance of genetics.
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Representatives at the American College of Sports Medicine couldn't find any studies on the athletic performance of twin athletes who are members of a male-female set.
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If you are a non-identical twin the risk falls to around 10 percent in most studies.
Dr. Pedersen, a professor in the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at Karolinska Institute, currently studies dementia among twins, including the recent research showing that an identical sibling of a twin with dementia has an increased risk of also developing the condition.
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