Re: incest taboos

Mon, 22 Mar 2004 16:00:17 -0800

Yes, I think it's agreed by all that good dominant genes are going to get you decent offspring.  What the article pointed out is that perhaps the horror of "inbreeding" is exaggerated.  Obviously, if you have two bad recessive genes, the offspring is likely in trouble.  But the very fact of their being recessive lowers the statistical probability that they'll meet another "like kind."  I guess that's key. 
 
Yes, the Rothschild family study was essentially an n of one.  The article wasn't limited to that family, but rather used them as a case study example.
 
Beth Benoit
University System of New Hampshire
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 6:29 PM
Subject: Re: incest taboos

Hi Beth,
            My understanding of the biological issue of incest is not so much that offsprings will "automatically" be defective. Rather, when two individuals with a familial link reproduce, the odds of genetic defects being passed on increase, especially if a recessive gene that carries such a defect is present in the bloodline.

Thus, even if two sibblings reproduced, it is no guarantee for failure. So the Rohstchilds family example is but a case study. Perhaps they started off with a very healthy gene pool to begin with. It is, however, a good example to disseminate the urban legend that inbreeds automatically have genetic defects related to the familial reproduction.

Cheers.

JM


Beth Benoit wrote:
(Apology:  I'm having severe email trouble, so can't reproduce Stephen Black's query about the statement I made in my original email on this subject...I'm thrilled to be back online for what may be a short time until my ISP hiccups again...  I"ll do my best...)
 
I stated that I'm beginning to hear a fair number of references to the idea that the consequences of familial incest may not be as deleterious as earlier believed. 
 
My original statement was:
>The biological penalties for incest, though recently discovered to be less severe than originally thought, are still worthy of consideration.<
 
Time to clarify:  I should have said the offspring of incestuous relationships may not have the biological penalties we once thought.
 
One of the most recent sources I read is from my favorite layperson's science magazine, Discover.    It's called:
 
Go Ahead, Kiss Your Cousin; Heck, marry her if you want to
 
 
Great reading, which discusses the surprisingly inbred Rothschilds, who were urged to marry within the family in order to keep the family fortune "familial."  They managed to avoid having children with nine heads and all the other horrors predicted with inbreeding. 
 
So now it's time for me to do some more academic investigation of this matter.  In the meantime, bet you'll find the article enjoyable.
 
Beth Benoit
University System of New Hampshire
 
 
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