Conjoined twins who share a brain

My brain stalled for about 20 minutes just trying to get some thought around all of the implications of this. Then it was gradually replaced by a the sinking feeling one gets when watching tremendous opportunity lost.<p><i>Her husband, Doug, drums up business. “We deliver food, flowers, whatever anybody needs,” she says. “We charge $5 for delivery in town.” Money is tight. Each time they get ahead, there’s a financially draining trip to Vancouver.</i><p>What!?<p>Some of the greatest leaps in understanding about how our brains work, not to mention untold wonders in technological advancement might be presented to us on a platter via this once in a multi-generation opportunity and they're housed in some crap rental trying to deliver flowers to make ends meet??? This family should immediately be declared a national treasure and have the full support of the Canadian government.<p>Expensive? Morally nebulous? Look, we yanks will build a multi-100-million dollar prison and get over the moral gray-ness of water-boarding just to find a few bombs. Helping out what might turn out to be a simple disabled pair of twins in exchange for knowledge that may improve humanity forever shouldn't be that much of a stretch.<p>I know this might be an unpopular opinion and attract downvotes, but I just got a +70 for what I though was a throwaway one-liner. If that's how the karma flows, then bring it.

Interesting. If one of them can distinctly originate a thought separate to the other then it's possible to say that they're separate people.<p>Where it gets really messed up is when you look at people who've had major parts of their brain removed. I remember reading about a man who had half his brain removed and was able to function almost perfectly after therapy. If you were able to take half of someone's brain out, then put that half into another person (who you'd removed the full brain from) would that make them two separate people or still one?

I admit my first thought was "Wait...How did they put that hoodie on?" The simple mechanics of everyday life are what fascinate me about this one.

My first thought was imagine the perspective on the world two people with a communication link between brains would have. It really provides an interesting prospect for the arts or sciences. These girls are naturally going to see and experience the world far different than the rest of us. Their unique experience could be very valuable to humanity, only time will tell.

This is fascinating. It reminded me of another documentary on conjoined twins who are fused partway down the spine. Almost the complement of these twins!<p>The wiki page for the other girls has information and links: <a href="https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Abigail_and_Brittany_Hensel" rel="nofollow">https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Abigail_and_B...</a>

Why is the article so inconclusive about whether or not they can hear each other's thoughts? Can't someone just ask them?

Fascinating! Twins, being genetically identical and raised in the same environment, already seem uncannily similar sometimes. Imagine what they will be like, with they ability to share each other's sensory experiences...

You can watch the documentary here: <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/1242299559/ID=1616373031" rel="nofollow">http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/1242299559/ID=16163...</a>

If they share sensory input and even thoughts, are they separate people with distinct personalities or one person with a split personality?

It seems, as with many other things, everyone wants to see this as a black-and-white issue: "Are they one people or two people? They can share thoughts!" We're of course not used to it, but the fact is there's a continuum here. They are more linked than any other two people, but they do have separate brains, with separate connections. This is an example of an issue where you just can't pigeonhole them into one or the other.

Wow. This is so absolutely fascinating. I only wish they could grow up faster so we could see if they really can read each-others thoughts, or if it's just hopeful pattern making by the adults.

Anyone else completely baffled by how they got their hoodies on??<p>The photo on the right doesn't show any buttons and the opening for the neck seems way too small for them to fit their whole body through it.