SukritiExceptionally Rare
Both Lydia Fairchild and Karen Keegan had chimerism, a genetic syndrome. This is an extremely unusual condition in humans with less than 40 recorded cases in the world. In both the cases, Chimerism started during the gestation period in the womb just after conception, months before Lydia and Karen were born. Their body’s genetic material is provided by more than one genome.
The Lost Twin
Much before a mother could even know about her baby’s sex or the fact that they are twins or triplets chimeras start as twins. However, one of the twins absorbs in the other and make an individual. The cells of the absorbed twin remain in the mother’s body neither a part of the absorbed twin is entirely able to merge with the surviving tins. This was the doctor’s explanation but was this enough to convince the court and the judge?
Hiding A Secret
In chimerism, the remaining cells stay in one area of the mother’s body. For Karen, a little nodule was found in her thyroid, that matched with her first two children. Karen’s thyroid’s DNA was completely different from other body parts. In Lydia’s case, the DNAs of her twin had gathered inside her womb. This was the reason why no reports matched with her kids’ reports.
Victory At Last
More than 16 months Lydia lived in emotional stress. The case was closed with the judge’s apology. Lydia was allowed federal assistance to support her three children. The best part was that Jamie and Lydia decided to give their marriage one more chance. Both Karen and Lydia’s case of Chimera isn’t that weird. It can get even more confusing.
The Mysteries Of Science
The term Chimerism is derived from a mythological Greek monster, Chimera. Chimera, a combination of a lion, a goat, and a serpent, who was a symbol of ill fortune. For Lydia and Karen, chimerism didn’t affect their outer appearance but was only detectable by their genetic testing.
However, chimera formed by male and female twins can result in a hermaphrodite. When the twins are of the same-sex, Chimera can result in different color patches or different eye colors. For animals, this condition takes a long jump.
Unique Creations
Modern science still doesn’t have all the answers to chimerism. In 2017, A team of scientists was able to create a real-life chimera in the Salk Institute, San Jose, California. They altered the DNA of a just developed pig embryo, by eliminating one of its organs, and substituting it with human stem cells. As the fetus grew, a human organ grew inside it. Scientists have high hopes with this to be a breakthrough to grow human organs safely.