Meet Kristian and Kristiana, the premature twins capturing hearts across the Internet. Based on comments on the YouTube video shared by mom Anthea Jackson, the hand-holding siblings are a reminder of “how much twins are connected.” And there’s scientific evidence to actually back that sentiment up, demonstrating this connection starts before birth.
Back in 2010, researchers at the University of Turin and the University of Parma in Italy used a technique called ultrasonography to track the movements of five pairs of twins in utero for 20 minutes at a time. What they discovered was pretty amazing: By 14 weeks gestation, twins begin reaching towards one another. And by week 18, they’re spending more time contacting their sibling than reaching for the uterine walls or touching themselves.
Even cuter: Researchers indicate that one twin reaching out and/or touching the other is a deliberate movement, not coincidental or arbitrary. Do determine this, they analyzed “kinematic movements,” analyzing the type and frequency of different fetal motions.
“The results showed that the spatial and temporal characteristics of fetal movements were by no means uncoordinated, but depended on the goal of the different motor acts, suggesting a surprisingly advanced level of motor planning,” researchers write in the study.
Some of those movements, like stroking the sibling’s back or head, are downright adorable. And these intimate movements can continue right after birth— sometimes even during birth, as a pair proved about two years ago.
Watch the video of Kristian and Kristiana below. We have a feeling this brother and sister are going to be the best of friends.
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