Having Fraternal Twins May be Determined By your Genes

The deciding factor of twins may be in your genes. If you carry two specific genes in your body you are more likely to have fraternal twins. People with these genes tend to respond better to in vitro fertilization. Fraternal twins are are more closely related than identical twins. New research has shown that in vitro fertilization yields more twins than natural conception.  The first SNP is FSHB which is involved with the follicle stimulating hormone and the second is the SMAD3.  The SMAD3 changes how the ovaries respond to FSH and they believe that this is what creates the fraternal twins. The next research that they plan to do is with women that have SMAD3 and if they are more likely to get pregnant from in vitro fertilization.

I think that this is an amazing discovery.  People that have twins now have an answer as to why it happens to them. No one in my family has ever had twins so I know that I do not have these genes.

Procrastination and Impulsivity are Genetically Linked

In this article, procrastination and impulsivity are genetically linked.  This suggests that these two traits come from similar evolutionary origins, according to research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.  The research indicates that these traits are related to our ability to successfully pursue and handle goals.  In order to understand these traits, twins were studied.  Identical twins share 100% of their genes and tend to show greater similarities in behavior than fraternal twins, who only share 50% of their genes (just like any other siblings).  Researchers use this genetic discrepancy to their advantage in order to figure out the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on particular behaviors, like procrastination and impulsivity.  The researchers had 181 identical-twin pairs and 166 fraternal-twin pairs complete several surveys intended to examine their tendencies toward impulsivity and procrastination, as well as their ability to set and maintain goals.  They discovered that procrastination and impulsivity are heritable.  In addition to that, there is a complete genetic overlap between procrastination and impulsivity , meaning there are no genetic influences that are unique to either trait alone.  Basically, procrastination is an evolutionary byproduct of impulsivity which most likely manifests itself more in the modern world than in the world of our ancestors.  Also, the link between procrastination and impulsivity overlapped genetically with the ability to manage goals.  Researchers are now studying how procrastination and impulsivity are related to higher-level cognitive abilities.

Original article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/275223.php
To learn more about procrastination, visit: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_96.htm