Punch Newspapers Sections Published 13 January 2021 Researchers, in a report published in Nature Genetics on January 7, have revealed that identical twins may not be carbon copies at the DNA level. According to sciencenews.org, the researchers from Iceland noted that on average, identical twins differ by 5.2 genetic changes. “The finding is important because identical twins — also called monozygotic twins because they come from a single fertilised egg — are often studied to determine whether particular traits, diseases or conditions result from genetics or environmental influences. Read Also “Identical twins were thought to be genetically the same, so differences in their health were considered to be the product of their environment. The new finding suggests that some genetic changes could also account for differences between twins” the researchers wrote.