From ancient Rome’s Romulus and Remus and the Bible’s Jacob and Esau to children’s literature’s Bobbsey twins and TV’s Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, the world has long been fascinated by twins. Only about 33 of every 1,000 births in the United States produce twins, lending them an aura of mystery. Do they have a secret language? Do they share a kind of mental telepathy?

How does being a fraternal twin differ from being an identical twin?

Looking for some answers, as academics are wont to do, BU Today reached out to BU students and staff who happen to be twins and both work or live on campus. They talk about their strong bond as well as the importance of maintaining their own unique identity. Some sets of twins answered individually, while others preferred to respond as a pair. Read their stories on BU Today.