1) Twins can be either identical or fraternal. Identical twins come from the same fertilized egg that splits, while fraternal twins come from two separate eggs fertilized by two separate sperm. 2) The article discusses different types of twins including conjoined twins and parasitic twins which occur when the embryos fail to fully separate. 3) It also discusses how a student's internship experiences at Cadbury and an oil rig provided valuable learning experiences about manufacturing and the oil industry respectively.

1. 10 Features REDBRICK 1305 / 16th FEBRUARY
Weird Science A day in the life of...
Double delight to A student in industry
by Sarah Band
Double trouble More serious complica-
Subject of superstition and scientif- tions can occur as in the
case of conjoined twins, a
ic intrigue, Hannah Murfet intro- variation on identical
twins where the embryo
duces us to the nature of twins fails to separate, causing
the two twins to remain
TWINS are often a sur- and can be different attached at different
prise to new parents, but sexes. regions such as the head
Simon Bishop how they came to be is A third type of twin, or waist. Parasitic twins
not usually the first thing known as ‘polar body can occur when one of
gets his head in- that comes to mind. The twins’, occurs where the the conjoined twins fails
word ‘twin’ comes from egg has split in two to develop. The other NOT many students asked most about my
to campus res- the German, ‘twine’ before being fertilised by twin develops normally would jump at the placement at Cadbury’s
meaning two together. separate sperm, they are and provides support for chance to have to get up is how much chocolate
earch. Literally. Twins have been a sub- more similar than non- the parasitic twin, and at 6am every morning, did I get to eat and the
ject of interest in mythol- identical twins but less can remain undetected but for increasing num- simple answer is a lot…
LAST week, I had a mas- ogy throughout history similar than identical into adulthood. The para- bers of science and as much as you want
sive magnet strapped to subjected to both fear twins. The reason for this sitic twin can develop engineering students, while you are at work! I
my head and my brain and worship. Their origin is that they share the features such as hair, that’s exactly what mean, what’s a girl to do
switched off. My head is largely understood but same maternal genes but limbs and teeth but does they’re choosing to do, when faced with ware-
secured in a clamp, neu- many aspects of develop- have a different set of not develop a brain. by opting to go into houses full of Roses,
rons in my brain were mental influences, indi- paternal genes. The frequency of industry while still a Heroes and Milk Tray?
subjected to artificial vidual differences and Although genetically occurrence of twins is student. Working at BP was a
magnetic fields and elec- errors is the subject of identical, monozygotic increasing due to some Currently, many very different experi-
trical currents. Though it scientific interest in this twins have differences in aspects of modern socie- courses encourage stu- ence. My job was entire-
lasted for a minuscule amazing natural phenom- fine details such as fin- ty. In vitro fertilisation dents to take a year, ly office-based and
fraction of a second at a enon. gerprints, as these are (INF) increases the rate of summer, or term out in whilst the projects were
time, I nonetheless sur- There are two main friction ridges that devel- twins as drugs are given industry. As a chemical similar, both based
rendered control of my types of twins: identical op with interaction with to increase egg release. If engineering student, around plant trouble-
mind to a machine. and non-identical. Both the environment and the fertilisation is suc- I’ve had many options shooting and optimisa-
This was not, I for industrial place- tion, the difference with
stress, a form of torture, ments and have had BP was that my plant
but in fact a research course friends running was nearly 400km away,
project in the areas of oil refineries, on a rig in the middle of
University’s Psychology manufacturing make- the North Sea. I there-
department, the method up, making instant cof- fore had to rely on other
in question ‘Transcranial fee and working in phar- sources of information
Magnetic Stimulation maceutical plants, and remote communica-
(TMS)’. Fear not, it is placed up and down the tion. This brought my
safe, and is in fact pro- country and as far afield first problem, having to
posed as a non-invasive as Belgium and South leave for work at 7am so
treatment of depression Africa. In comparison, I could be there for the
and migraines. It works my experiences have daily morning call
by rapidly changing been a little less exotic, where the onshore team
magnetic fields at a focal but just as valuable. I’ve satellite called the oil
point in the brain, induc- taken two summer rig to check up on
ing weak currents in internships, first in what’s going on.
selected neurons. The manufacturing for Despite the early
gist of all of this is that Cadbury in Bournville mornings and long days
my cerebellum was and secondly working sat in front of a comput-
momentarily knocked for BP in the support er and in meetings, I
out while performing a team for a North Sea oil gained a lot from the
simple movement exer- rig, based in Aberdeen. experience, including a
cise, potentially proving Working at Cadbury, better understanding of
the role of that part of I was given the task of aspects of chemical
the brain in spatial originate through differ- location in the womb. cessful, more than one figuring out why the engineering and an
awareness. To explain it ent means, though both Factors such as nutrition embryo is implanted Cadbury Dairy Milk appreciation of the
in one sentence would are rare occurrences that and growth rate affect the which can often result in Turkish plant appeared activities and organisa-
not do it justice; suffice can be influenced by shape of the fingertip. multiple pregnancy. The to sporadically go tion of a multinational
to say it was fun. It did- nature and modern inter- There is also another rel- tendency for more than wrong. My day at work energy company.
n’t hurt, my brain imme- vention. Identical twins atively recent develop- one egg to be released was split between time Although my internship
diately recovered occur as the fertilised egg ment known as ‘epigenet- also increases with age, on the plant and time in was entirely office-
(though craved cookies divides into two early on ic differences’, where thus with the increase in the office, revising dif- based, some of my fel-
after to nurse its bruised in the pregnancy by divi- information is used older mothers, the num- ferent theories and in low students were fortu-
ego) and I was paid. sion of the cells in the through a means that ber of twins has also meetings with col- nate enough to go off-
Tucked away in the inside of the developing does not involve the lan- increased proportionate- leagues. shore and experience
corners of the Hills embryo. The origin of guage of genes. As twins ly for this reason. Whilst on the plant, life on an oil rig… not
Building are a number of identical twins means age, their epigenetic dif- In spite of occasional togged up and looking something I was jump-
hugely interesting exper- that the twins share the ferences increase, caus- mistakes, twins are an very sexy in white coat, ing at the chance to do.
iments, away from the same genetic informa- ing alterations in the amazing occurrence. hairnet, ear defenders Although hectic, my
bustle of student activi- tion, causing identical genes that are expressed. They are often a large and, best of all, steel toe experiences of going
ty. In the same laborato- characteristics such as By changing what genes source of joy to their par- capped safety shoes, I into industry have given
ry as the TMS team, hair colour and sex. are used, factors such as ents and each develop a got to see what actually me much more than a
Hannah Murfet was Non-identical twins resistance to disease and personality of their own. happened in practice bit of extra spending
being put through a arise upon occasions differences between It is the aspect of person- and appreciate the money. I have gained a
ridiculously difficult when more than one egg twins in terms of life ality development that extent to which univer- greater understanding
sounding co-ordination is released and fertilised. style (for example smok- interests psychologists sity case studies are ide- of what I learn at uni,
experiment involving Non-identical twins are ing and diet) can be because although identi- alised. As geeky as it some great friends and
speech repetition and effectively the same as explained. cal twins have the same sounds, it was pretty contacts, and a better
motor skills. normal siblings as they In rare cases, unusual genes, they develop an satisfying to get the idea and chance of
Coincidentally, the sci- do not share the same things can happen such individual personality. chance to apply what I'd achieving the career I
ence page is this week genetic information as a phenomenon known It is this subject that been taught and make want. But maybe more
handed to her as she because they have differ- as ‘heteropaternal super- takes us to one of the key use of all those lectures importantly, I am much
introduces us to the ent maternal and paternal fecundation’; this can questions in modern psy- and labs, especially more appreciative of
world of twins. genes. occur in non-identical chology, is it nature or applying it to yummy student life and the flex-
In appearance they twins, where each twin nurture that makes us chocolatey-ness. ibility to work and play
can look very different has a different father. who we are? The thing I get when I choose.