21st Century, More Twins in Scientific Literature: Intentional or Accidental?

This essay highlights the complex issue of twinning in science publications. Historical accounts present cases where two scientists focused on the same problem and came up with the same solution following different paths. This has changed in the present situation. Birth of twins in research literature has increased post 2010. In early 1900s to 2000s, twinning in research publication was serendipitous, and there was a healthy competition among teams working on similar products. At present, twinning has become a norm rather than serendipity. This can be attributed to the urge to have publications in popular themes, dependence on building research on popular key words, superficial glancing at literature and funding agencies backing thematic areas. As we inch away from human ingenuity towards Artificial Intelligence, twinning may become a norm of the day and this may result in not just twins but multiple clones appearing in scientific literature.