Bizarre Tale of Separated Twins: Triplets Subjected to Dangerous Scientific Exploration
In the world today, over 80 million pairs of twins exist! Sometimes, fate plays a cruel trick and separates them at birth.
Image: Twins looking at each other, amazed.
Life has a curious way of weaving intricate patterns, especially when it comes to twins. Take the story of these siblings who lived separate lives, yet shared eerie similarities. Why do two unrelated individuals share the same taste in cars or name their pets the same?
"YOU'RE MY BROTHER?"
From the close-knit town of Piqua, USA, emerged a tale that shook the nation. In 1940, a young mother gave up her twin babies for adoption. A family in Piqua adopted one, the Springers, while another family in a neighboring town, the Lewis, took the other. Both boys were oddly named... the same name, James (diminutive - Jim).
Living just 60 kilometers apart, the brothers grew up in blissful ignorance of each other's existence. The Springers were told their son's brother had passed away at birth, but Lucy Lewis, the adopting mother, uncovered the truth: her son's sibling was alive. she shared the secret with her son at a young age.
Jim Lewis began his search for his brother at the age of 37, petitioning the court for access to adoption records. Initially, the court asked him to leave his contact information, promising to contact him if his relative made inquiries.
A month later, Jim Lewis' phone rang. "Are you my brother?" asked the unknown voice on the other end.
Jim Lewis and Jim Springer
Image: The reunited brothers, both startled yet relieved.
The brothers met with a flutter of nerves, but as soon as their eyes locked, they understood the void they'd long felt in their lives.
"We both felt like we were missing something significant. That feeling vanished when we met," Jim Springer shared.
The brothers found an uncanny resemblance in their preferences – they liked the same soda, smoked the same cigarettes, and admired the same beer brands. Both owned blue Chevrolet cars, and each had a pet named Toy at home.
Interestingly, both brothers married women named Linda first, divorced, and then remarried – this time to women named Betty. Each had a son, whose names differed by only one letter: James Allan and James Alan.
One served as a deputy sheriff, the other as a security guard. They both suffered from migraines and had a habit of biting their nails. In school, the brothers enjoyed mathematics and woodworking, but they couldn't stand spelling.
This bizarre case caught the attention of psychologist Thomas Bouchard, who invited the brothers to participate in an experiment at the University of Minnesota. The twins performed identical tasks separately, such as drawing random objects, a feat that left them both astonished.
ANAIS AND SAMANTHA
Skeptics questioned the authenticity of this bizarre tale. While the brothers were indeed separated, the details raised eyebrows. However, another unlikely pair of twins came to light, further fueling curiosity.
Anais Bordier, a French citizen, knew from childhood that she was adopted. Her family had taken her from an orphanage in Busan, South Korea. At 25, studying fashion in London, Anais saw her doppelganger in a movie trailer – Samantha Futerman, a New Jersey-based actress. They shared not only a striking resemblance but a voice timbre and the same birthdate: November 18, 1987.
Gathering her courage, Anais reached out to Samantha on social media and arranged a meeting.
Anais Bordier and Samantha Futerman
Image: The reunion of the sisterly duo.
After their meeting, Samantha launched a fundraising campaign for the documentary film "Twinsters," the sisters wrote a book about their tale, and they both fared quite well financially. A DNA test conducted by twin expert Nancy Segal from the University of California confirmed that the girls were indeed twins. However, when they claimed to have found their biological mother in South Korea, she vehemently denied any connection and refused to communicate with them.
THE HORRIFYING TRUTH
While Anais and Samantha's encounter was a joyful reunion, the story of the triplets from New York took a darker turn. Born in 1961, their mother gave them up for adoption at her high school graduation. A private adoption agency distributed the boys, supposedly separating them to make it easier to find adoptive families.
David was adopted by a poor couple, Robert went to a wealthy family with a doctor and a lawyer, and Edward was raised in a middle-class family. The brothers met by chance in a New York college where Robert was studying, and they were introduced through Edward's friends. Their story made headlines, and a friend of the third brother saw it and brought them all together.
Their adoptive mothers recalled a peculiar characteristic in the brothers as infants – they would bang their heads against their cribs for extended periods, as if trying to cope with their separation. Two of the brothers had to seek psychiatric help. As adults, they shared similar car preferences, romantic partners, and even opened a restaurant called "Triplets" together. They appeared on TV and even starred in a movie with Madonna.
An investigation into their separation revealed a chilling revelation: they were part of a scientific experiment conducted by psychiatrist Peter Neubauer and agency consultant Viola Bernard to study "the impact of genetics and environment on personality development." The agency warned the parents at adoption that the scientists would regularly monitor the adopted children's behavior. Neubauer used data from this experiment in his book, "The Nature of Human Nature: The Genetic Determinants of Personality," but most of the records were kept at Yale University's archive until 2065.
Sadly, Edward, one of the triplets, succumbed to depression and bipolar disorder in 1995, taking his own life.
GENETICS OR ENVIRONMENT?
Despite the controversial role of scientists in the study of separated twins, we must examine the conclusions. Bush, who studied the Jim twins, concluded: Intellectually, they were 70% alike, but in terms of personality traits, preferences, and interests, they were only 50% alike. The main reason for the similarities in behavior and views was genetics.
Child and family psychologist Larisa Kononova shared her insights on the matter with KP.RU.
- When twins grow up in the same family, they are impacted by the same events. They share not only genetics but also the same living conditions.
However, it's possible that twins may engage in competitive behavior – mutual jealousy may develop. As a result, one may refuse to eat what the other eats or wear the same clothes. But if these twins manage to navigate adolescence normally, they usually reconcile, and the differences between them even out again.
Separated twins don't have the competitive spirit. Therefore, in their preferences, they can sometimes be much closer to each other than those who grow up together.
ADDITIONAL READING
Separated twin brothers reunited after 30 years: Due to the "one family, one child" policy, thousands of children grew up away from their parents
Woke up and started speaking a foreign language, forgotten native tongue: The case of a young footballer shocked doctors
"The similarities between these brothers, Jim Lewis and Jim Springer, raised in separate households, raised questions about the role of genetics in health-and-wellness and behavior patterns. They shared the same taste in cars, pets' names, and even preferred the same brands of soda, cigarettes, and beer."
"While Jim Lewis' search for his long-lost twin brother was fueled by curiosity, the study of these twins by psychologist Thomas Bouchard in the University of Minnesota revealed a 50% similarity in their personality traits, preferences, and interests, primarily influenced by their genetic makeup."
