And Kate Bosworth. |
The polygamists? I saw a show about this. And they have as many kids as they can and the children are just completely incapacitated for their whole lives. |
Yep. Saudi has very high Down Syndrome rates. And around two-thirds of marriages are blood relatives. |
And David Bowie! |
And Max Scherzer! |
PP from the hemophilia correction here. More basic genetics knowledge is really needed on this thread! Down syndrome is not heritable in almost all cases- it is a trisomy (ie triplicate) of one of the chromosomes. A trisomy occurs spontaneously at a very low rate after cell division. There are a few rare genes that can increase your risk of having a child with Down syndrome (because you tend to produce such trisomies more often) but those are believed to be implicated in only a tiny percentage (<5%) of Down syndrome cases. Also, from another thread a recessive gene cannot become dominant. It is that you get two copies of the recessive gene, one from each parent, and then you start to express the recessive trait. Inbreeding increases the chance that you will get two copes of a mutant or unusual gene because both your parents originally got it from the same place. This thread is a walking ad for why smart people should also study STEM fields. Educate your children first. (A STEM PhD who is not even a biologist but has learned how to think about science) |
Different color eyes are a result of mosaic genes. |
Infertility is another side effect. It is epidemic in the middle east, with as many as 25% of all couples unable to reproduce because of consanguinity. Iran pays for in vitro, surrogacy, donor eggs etc at state-run facilities because it has no choice if the population is to survive. |
Fragile X is a recessive trait that can cause intellectual disabilities.
OP: If you are worried about this, your intended and you can have genetic testing for these things. National Children's did mine. I didn't marry my cousin but did come from a family with known fragile X and I wanted to make sure I was not a carrier. Genetic testing is kind of fun. |
Mating? Really, OP? |
Yes, the rate of birth defects is alarming. This article is from 2011 so the numbers are even worse now. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1394119/Its-time-confront-taboo-First-cousin-marriages-Muslim-communities-putting-hundreds-children-risk.html "While British Pakistanis account for three per cent of the births in this country, they are responsible for 33 per cent of the 15,000 to 20,000 children born each year with genetic defects." |
Wait, people are unable to reproduce because they are cousins, or because they are the product of cousin marriages? |
No, his different colored eyes were the result of an injury. |
Thank you. I was waiting for someone to clear up D Bowie misconception. As to the other misconceptions, well maybe enough proof already not to inbreed. |