Nancy Segal, director of the Twin Studies Center at Cal State Fullerton, is featured in the 2024 subtitled documentary “The Accidental Twins.”
Segal is featured in the Spanish and English film’s trailer describing the switch of the Colombian twins at birth. Like Segal’s 2018 book, “Accidental Brothers: The Story of Twins Exchanged at Birth and the Power of Nature and Nurture,” the film documents the story of two sets of identical twins switched at birth in Colombia who explore their complex history, their discoveries and new identities.
The twins discovered at age 25 that they were mistakenly raised as fraternal twins — when they were not even biological brothers. One twin in each pair was switched with a twin in the other pair.
Segal, an author and professor of psychology, studies behavioral and physical development of twins, the nature of twins’ social relationships, twins separated at birth, and the behavioral consequences of twin loss. She is set to speak at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at Fullerton Public Library about her twins research, genetics and parenting.
“It’s absolutely extraordinary,” says Segal. “You know, it’s the kind of experiment that scientists dream about, but could never do ethically.”
Segal is the author of several books, including “Deliberately Divided: Inside the Controversial Study of Twins and Triplets Adopted Apart,” “The Twin Children of the Holocaust,” and “Gay Fathers, Twin Sons.” Segal established the Twin Studies Center in 1991 to enhance public awareness of the unique biological and psychological aspects of twinning and promote research experience and training for graduate and undergraduate students in the university’s psychology department.
About Cal State Fullerton: The largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County, Cal State Fullerton offers more than 100 degree programs and Division 1 athletics. Recognized as a national model for supporting student success, CSUF excels with innovative, high-impact educational practices, including faculty-student collaborative research, study abroad and competitive internships. CSUF is a top public university known for its success in supporting first-generation and underrepresented students, and preparing all students to become leaders in the global marketplace. Our vibrant and diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region. Visit fullerton.edu.
