Despite advancements in science, there are still no precise answers to the strange phenomena mentioned below. Notably, these occurrences are primarily observed in young children.
Semi-Identical Twins
In 2014, during an ultrasound, a 28-year-old woman from Australia was diagnosed with a twin pregnancy. The twins shared a placenta, meaning they were identical, also known as Identical Twins. When she was 14 weeks along, a follow-up examination revealed that one was a boy and the other a girl, prompting doctors to express concern. Typically, identical twins cannot be of different genders.
Shortly after, they were identified as a rare type of twins, Semi-Identical Twins. This was the second case of this type in the history of world medicine.
Semi-identical twins, or Sesquizygotic twins, form when an egg is fertilized by two different sperm. This presents a genetic risk, as evidenced by the children’s development. Due to malignant growth processes, the girl was found to have no ovaries. By early 2019, the twins, now four years old, were reported to be healthy.
Interestingly, on the mother’s side, both twins were 100% identical, while on the father’s side, they were approximately 78% similar.
In obstetrics, the phenomenon of semi-identical twins is entirely different from that of identical twins and fraternal twins. In the case of semi-identical twins, although one is a boy and the other a girl, they resemble each other as if they were born from a single zygote. Because an egg cannot split right before fertilization, it is assumed that one zygote has been fertilized along with the egg by two different sperm.
Initially, this type was referred to as “third-twin type”, but later changed to “semi-identical twins” and is now termed “Sesquizygotic twins.” Theoretically, children born from an egg and a zygote carry the maternal haploid genome, making them similar, differing only in the paternal genetic contribution from the two sperm, thus about 75% similar to fraternal twins.
Image of the semi-identical twins of the Australian woman.
Details about the above case were published in the England Journal of Medicine in early March 2019. Researchers from the University of New South Wales and Queensland University of Technology studied nearly 1,000 twin cases and officially confirmed the aforementioned birth. The twins were formed when one egg was fertilized by two sperm.
Typically, when a sperm penetrates an egg, the egg locks down to prevent other sperm from entering. Even when two sperm penetrate, a zygote has three sets of chromosomes instead of the usual two.
However, in this case, when the egg was fertilized by two sperm, it separated the three sets of chromosomes into two separate cell sets, thus forming twins. “Some cells contain chromosomes from the first sperm while the remaining cells contain chromosomes from the second sperm, leading to twins that share a portion, but not 100%, of their father’s DNA,” stated clinical geneticist Michael Gabbett, who participated in the study.
Girls transforming into boys at puberty
In some countries such as the Dominican Republic, Turkey, New Guinea, and Egypt, a strange phenomenon has emerged, perplexing the medical community as no satisfactory explanation has been found. Many children born initially as girls transform into boys during puberty.
This confuses parents as they initially name them as girls, only to later change their names to boys. At puberty, testosterone surges, causing male genitalia to develop. Additionally, height, facial hair, and testicles also develop, transforming them into true men.
These naturally transitioning children are referred to as Guevedoces, a term describing the appearance of a penis at age 12. This means that although born female, they were never truly female. In simpler terms, this is a form of intersexuality previously addressed by medicine. They are genetically male but their bodies lack an enzyme that hinders the development of male genitalia.
Johnny, who was born a girl.
In the village of Salinas, Barahona province in the Dominican Republic, known as the “village of three genders,” 1% of children born are Guevedoces, approximately 100 children. One of the famous Guevedoces from Salinas, now 24 years old, is a boy named Johnny. “I never played with girls’ toys; I only wanted to play with boys,” Johnny shared.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Guevedoces is a phenomenon discovered by American endocrinologist Julianne Imperato in the 1970s after he traveled to the Dominican Republic for research. Children with this condition are genetically male, meaning they have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. However, while in the womb, a gene mutation prevents their bodies from converting male testosterone into a hormone called dihydrotestosterone or DHT. Since DHT is responsible for the development of male genitalia, a lack of DHT means that male organs do not develop properly.
When affected children are born, their external genitalia appear female or, in some cases, ambiguous. However, at puberty, Guevedoces tend to develop male characteristics due to increased testosterone. The body seems to respond to this higher testosterone level, causing the penis and scrotum to grow larger, and secondary sexual characteristics, such as increased muscle mass and deeper voice, also begin to emerge.
Males with this condition, officially known as 5-alpha reductase deficiency, are often infertile and do not develop much body or facial hair. Although most children with this condition are raised as girls, about half identify as males after puberty, like the aforementioned Johnny.
Two brothers paralyzed at sunset
In Pakistan, two brothers named Shoaib Ahmed, 13, and Abdul Ahmed, 9, suffer from a strange illness, earning them the title of children of the sun. They are healthy during the day but fall into a vegetative state at night, unable to move, eat, speak, or open their eyes, experiencing total paralysis or “turning to stone.” Local doctors have stated that they have never encountered such a strange illness. The family has previously lost two sons, all of whom were paralyzed like Shoaib and Abdul.
When Shoaib was just a few years old, his father discovered this issue. Whenever the sun began to set and light faded, Shoaib would start to weaken, unable to speak, lying on the ground motionless. Later, his younger brother Abdul was born, and he exhibited similar symptoms to his brother.
Shoaib described each occurrence as follows: “At first, it’s a pain in the lower jaw, toothache, and I can’t speak; then my limbs start to ache, and I feel completely drained…”
As a result, the family has to keep a close watch on Shoaib and Abdul, as both are not allowed to play far from home and must return before sunset.
Medical experts have stated that the cases of Shoaib and Abdul are unprecedented. Many international medical experts have also reported that they have never heard of such a strange illness.
In other words, Shoaib and Abdul may be the only case of its kind in the world.
Medical experts stated that the cases of Shoaib and Abdul are unprecedented.
Interestingly, the daughters in this family do not suffer from the illness.
In 2016, Shoaib and Abdul were admitted to a hospital in Islamabad. Thanks to free medical care, both have had a normal life. Over 300 tests were conducted, but the mystery related to their condition remains unsolved, with medical intervention only ruling out certain possibilities.
Initially, it was suspected that a lack of light was causing the illness, but when the two children were placed in a dark room during the day, they remained normal. There were no neurological damage or sleep disorders leading to paralysis. Researchers suspect it could be caused by genetic factors, as it was found that their parents are closely related.
At the medical academy, Shoaib and Abdul underwent a series of tests on various indicators such as blood, urine, chest X-rays, heart rate, and brain CT scans… The results showed that these indicators were all normal.
All tests and analyses have been completed, and Dr. Akram has proposed his own hypothesis to explain the phenomenon of “the sons of the sun”: “Since there are no structural changes in the brain, the issue may lie at the biochemical level of the brain.”
He explains that when dopamine levels are very low, individuals may experience muscle weakness and even be unable to speak, which is often seen in Parkinson’s disease patients.
Dr. Akram believes that the two brothers, Shoaib and Abdul, are likely suffering from a dopaminergic system disorder that causes dopamine levels to drop rapidly.
Brothers Shoaib Ahmed and Abdul Rasheed become paralyzed every evening.
A Miracle Occurred
After sunset, the two brothers, Shoaib and Abdul, were given l-DOPA dopamine medication, a drug that regulates dopamine balance in the brain and is one of the treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Thanks to Dr. Akram’s method, the two brothers have made significant progress. For the first time in their lives, Shoaib and Abdul experienced the night and engaged in activities like other normal individuals.
Both brothers were able to turn their heads and open their mouths; Abdul even managed to control his abdominal muscles and attempt to suck in his stomach. Dr. Akram was also very pleased, as although he could not identify the exact cause, the treatment has achieved remarkable results.
Dr. Akram stated that in the coming years, he will dedicate considerable effort to further investigate the underlying causes of this strange condition.
