How to distinguish identical twins?

Identical twins often have identical characteristics, apart from the parents, it is difficult for outsiders to distinguish. Studies show that humans can identify these twins by using non-facial features such as moles, freckles, and scars for identification, rather than comparing minor features such as eyes, nose or mouth.

Identical twins are difficult to distinguish by conventional identification methods

Most smartphones today use a reliable facial recognition system embedded within it. However, even the "smartest" artificial facial recognition systems have trouble recognizing a person if they start wearing glasses or change their hairstyle. Compared to a 2-year-old baby who can consistently recognize the mother's face, regardless of how the mother's clothes or hair changes, these recognition systems are rather bland. Because of such limitations, facial recognition has become a topic of interest for artificial intelligence system developers.

One of the most difficult questions in the field of understanding human facial recognition is how to distinguish identical twins, because they share the same genetic material and even different methods of identification. Traditional methods of personal identification, such as a DNA test or a blood test, are indistinguishable.

It is very difficult to distinguish identical twins in the usual way.

In this article we will unlock the mysteries surrounding this issue, which will not only assist us in developing biometric techniques to distinguish identical twins, but also specific recognition algorithms as well as minimize the error when identifying someone.

How facial recognition works in the brain

To distinguish identical twins, we should first understand briefly how facial recognition works. The parts that control visual activity in our brain are known to specialize in recognizing human faces. The neurons in this area specialize in the overall processing pattern, identifying the entire face, in addition to identifying individual facial features to then assemble the facial recognition information. . This area of ​​cells is located in the lower part of the temporal lobe (the lobe just behind your ear), aptly named the 'Fusiform face area'.

Face recognition is handled entirely by the Fusiform face area.

To find out, the scientists performed a scan of a person's brain when they looked at random objects against a real face, and the neurons in this area only activated randomly. selective for faces, demonstrating the ability to specialize very high. Recent experiments in people who were born blind also show that they also have "out of sight" experiences to develop this way of recognition.

Users by touching their hands can also recognize faces, similar to observations in ordinary people. It is this exciting discovery that has "revolutionized" our understanding of human face recognition, disproving the idea that this region of the brain is solely responsible for vision.

Traditionally, although facial recognition was handled entirely by the Fusiform face area, recent research has changed this supposedly "conservative" idea. In fact, the facial recognition area does not come from a single area, but a whole hierarchical network of several brain regions. This includes areas of the brain that recognize emotions and facial expressions to decode meaning, recall information and then associate it with familiar faces, learn new facial features, or recognize faces. old. Therefore, facial recognition in humans is understood to contain many mysteries and operate much more complex than previously thought. And with such inherent complexity, it's no surprise that we can recognize faces in detail, even between identical twins.

We can completely distinguish identical twins

Scientists are still not confident enough that humans have a reliable ability to distinguish between identical twins. The first question they are trying to answer is whether we are good at identifying and differentiating identical twins, and if so, how?

In a 2011 study, scientists presented a pair of human faces and asked a group of participants if they could tell if it was the same person or identical twins. . These people would respond on a scale of certainty, and after completing the task, they were also asked what helped them make such a decision.

The results of the study also surprised the scientists, who responded very accurately in distinguishing between identical twins. They say they used markers such as moles, scars and freckles, while others compared facial features, such as eyes, nose and lips, showing less accuracy.

Another important finding of the study was that when there was no time limit to give an answer, the participants were able to distinguish twins more accurately. That said, given more time, humans might be able to detect slight differences in facial features to make accurate decisions in recognizing twins' faces.

Thus, just with time and special signs, surely humans can distinguish identical twins.

The twins themselves also have trouble identifying.themselves

We may be thinking that how to tell twins apart is best to ask them themselves. Surprisingly, in a recent study on the facial recognition ability of identical twins, the "insider" was also in trouble. In particular, identical twins showed little advantage in distinguishing their faces from those of their twin.

The more the twins believed that they were less alike, the more they showed this advantage when it came to facial recognition.

Normal people all have a certain ability to recognize and distinguish their own faces from the faces of others, but identical twins themselves lack this. Interestingly, it is the twins' belief in their similarity with the other that determines their identity, or in other words takes away their "self-advantage". This also means that the more the twins believe that they are less alike, the more likely they are to show this advantage when it comes to recognizing their own faces.

In addition, the study also reported a link between the psychological attachment of twins and their ability to self-recognize faces. That is the relationship between our psychology, our beliefs and our ability to recognize faces.

Studying how we recognize identical twins is of great interest to scientists as it will aid humans in developing extremely accurate facial recognition algorithms for biometric purposes.