In 1980, a 19-year-old named Robert Shafran arrived at a new college and was met with peculiar behavior from those around him, who referred to him by a different name and acted as if they had known him for a long time.
Little did Robert know that this encounter would lead to the discovery of two more twin brothers, whom he had been separated from during childhood, and the revelation that all three had unknowingly participated in a special experiment.
On that fateful day, students at the college introduced Robert to his twin, Edward Gallan, and the resemblance between them was striking. Both had grown up in different foster families, completely unaware of each other’s existence.
Months later, another college student named David Kellman saw a news story about the reunited twins and was shocked to realize that Robert and Edward looked exactly like him.
The triplets were separated in childhood: they met after 10 years and found out that they participated in a special experiment
The three brothers eventually met and discovered that their adoptive parents did not know their siblings. Each twin had grown up in a separate family, living at least 150 kilometers apart.
Curious about their separation, the adoptive parents embarked on an investigation and uncovered the truth behind the unusual experiment they had unknowingly taken part in.
It was revealed that a renowned child psychologist named Peter Neubauer had researched to study how the environment influences personality development. He deliberately placed the twins in different families to observe which traits were inherited and which were acquired through life experiences.
David had been placed in a working-class family, Edward in a household with an average income, and Robert was fortunate to be adopted by a wealthy businessman.
The triplets were separated in childhood: they met after 10 years and found out that they participated in a special experiment
Neubauer’s research continued for a decade, but the reunion of the triplets brought them unexpected fame and financial opportunities. They even appeared in films and enjoyed relative success.
However, Neubauer’s experiment was eventually deemed unethical, and the full results of the study remain classified to this day.
