Cândido Godói
Encyclopedia
Cândido Godói is a municipality of 6,641 inhabitants in the state Rio Grande do Sul
, Brazil
near the Argentinian border, famous for the high number of twin
s born there. The twin phenomenon is centered in Linha São Pedro, a small settlement in the city of Cândido Godói, in an ethnically homogeneous population of German descent.
. This rate is unusual, exceeding the highest observed national twin
ning rate (4.5-5% for southwestern Nigeria). Half (8 of 17) of twins examined in one study were monozygotic (identical) twins, a few more than the average of 30%. Twin births were noted from the early twentieth century, when the first colonists included seventeen sets of twins, and have been observed through several generations in the latter part of the twentieth century.
The population is largely of Polish or German ancestry, with many tracing ancestry to the Hunsrück
region of Germany, which has a higher than average twinning rate.. The rate in Cândido Godói could reflect genetic founder effect
: rare genetic traits occurring by chance among a small group founding a community will be more common among their descendents than in the population at large.
, who had conducted twin studies in Germany, is known to have fled to South America as the Allies were closing in on the Nazi German regime
. The Argentinian historian Jorge Camarasa has proposed the theory that Mengele conducted experiments on women in the area, which could be responsible for the high ratio of twins. About the time of Mengele's arrival in southern Brazil in 1963, the incidence of twins
began to increase, leading to the current rate of twinning at 1 in 10, over half of whom are dizygotic (fraternal). However, such speculation has been disputed by local historian, Paulo Sauthier, who says Mengele did not study twins during his time in Brazil. Moreover, according to geneticists, the most likely explanation for the high frequency of twins is genetic isolation and inbreeding. Records indicate that the high frequency of twins predates Mengele's arrival to South America.
This phenomenon of a large number of twin births is not unique to Cândido Godói, and has also been observed in the town of Igbo-Ora
in Nigeria
and the village of Kodinji
in India
.
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
near the Argentinian border, famous for the high number of twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
s born there. The twin phenomenon is centered in Linha São Pedro, a small settlement in the city of Cândido Godói, in an ethnically homogeneous population of German descent.
Twinning rate
The rate of twin births in Cândido Godói is 10%, significantly higher than the overall 1.8% rate for the state of Rio Grande do SulRio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
. This rate is unusual, exceeding the highest observed national twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
ning rate (4.5-5% for southwestern Nigeria). Half (8 of 17) of twins examined in one study were monozygotic (identical) twins, a few more than the average of 30%. Twin births were noted from the early twentieth century, when the first colonists included seventeen sets of twins, and have been observed through several generations in the latter part of the twentieth century.
The population is largely of Polish or German ancestry, with many tracing ancestry to the Hunsrück
Hunsrück
The Hunsrück is a low mountain range in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by the river valleys of the Moselle , the Nahe , and the Rhine . The Hunsrück is continued by the Taunus mountains on the eastern side of the Rhine. In the north behind the Moselle it is continued by the Eifel...
region of Germany, which has a higher than average twinning rate.. The rate in Cândido Godói could reflect genetic founder effect
Founder effect
In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942, using existing theoretical work by those such as Sewall...
: rare genetic traits occurring by chance among a small group founding a community will be more common among their descendents than in the population at large.
Theories
The notorious Nazi doctor Josef MengeleJosef Mengele
Josef Rudolf Mengele , also known as the Angel of Death was a German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. He earned doctorates in anthropology from Munich University and in medicine from Frankfurt University...
, who had conducted twin studies in Germany, is known to have fled to South America as the Allies were closing in on the Nazi German regime
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. The Argentinian historian Jorge Camarasa has proposed the theory that Mengele conducted experiments on women in the area, which could be responsible for the high ratio of twins. About the time of Mengele's arrival in southern Brazil in 1963, the incidence of twins
TWINS
Two Wide-Angle Imaging Neutral-Atom Spectrometers are a pair of NASA instruments aboard two United States National Reconnaissance Office satellites in Molniya orbits. TWINS was designed to provide stereo images of the Earth's ring current. The first instrument, TWINS-1, was launched aboard USA-184...
began to increase, leading to the current rate of twinning at 1 in 10, over half of whom are dizygotic (fraternal). However, such speculation has been disputed by local historian, Paulo Sauthier, who says Mengele did not study twins during his time in Brazil. Moreover, according to geneticists, the most likely explanation for the high frequency of twins is genetic isolation and inbreeding. Records indicate that the high frequency of twins predates Mengele's arrival to South America.
This phenomenon of a large number of twin births is not unique to Cândido Godói, and has also been observed in the town of Igbo-Ora
Igbo-Ora
Igbo-Ora is a town in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria, situated north of Lagos. As of 2001, the population of the town was approximately 60,000 people...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and the village of Kodinji
Kodinji
Kodinhi is a village in Malappuram district in Kerala, India. The village is situated close to the town of Tirurangadi and, as of 2008, is home to around 2,000 families....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.