Kodinhi, the Village of Twins
In one Kerala village, so many twins are born that their families formed an association.
What was reported
Kodinhi, a village in Malappuram district, has one of the highest rates of twin births reported anywhere. Local counts put the number of twin pairs at around 400 among roughly 2,000 families, several times the national average.
Villagers say the number of twins has grown over the past few generations. The village has a twins and kins association, and twins are part of its identity.
Explanations offered
No cause has been confirmed. In 2016, researchers from the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, and universities in the UK and Germany collected saliva and hair samples to study the villagers' genes. Suggestions include inherited traits passed down through families, diet and the local water.
- When
- Ongoing
- Where
- Malappuram district, Kerala, India
- Witnesses
- Villagers, doctors and researchers
- Status
- Unexplained
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