Comments on: Royals Prove Inbreeding Is a Bad Idea

By: Jeltez42

Jeltez42 — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:16:54 +0000

All the jokes about kissin’ cousins have a base in reality. Who knew? Genetics seems to be based upon the lucknl of the draw. I am sure with proper testing many genetic problems can be avoided.

Genetic diversity is preferred across Earth’s biomes. Our mutt dog was healthy and lived a long life. Our purebred dog was not so lucky. Given a choice I will always take the mutt.

By: Geno DCLXVI

Geno DCLXVI — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 05:38:10 +0000

Yep, inbreeding is definitely a bad idea, but I only think so because of the reasons given in the article: it creates less room for genetic diversity, and repeated inbreeding leads to higher chances of various genetic defects.

However, I don’t think it’s a bad idea in any moral sense. Not that I or any of my family are inbred, but I’d think that if (and only if) two people love and want to be with each other, then nothing should stop them from doing so. We’re already moving forward with gay marriage, after all.

By: Gevan

Gevan — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:28:45 +0000

Uncle-niece or Aunt-nephew? Which is more ewwie?

By: TX Tornado

TX Tornado — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:41:23 +0000

I agree with GK. To say that inbreeding is safe if no genetic problems are present is ridiculous and completely ignores factual evidence, especially as often as royalty tended to utilize it. Genetic problems aren’t like a disease, you can’t just not have them. Just because a recessive gene hasn’t been expressed in a population doesn’t mean it’s not there, and it doesn’t mean it’s safe to marry your cousin. It’s impossible to detail a family history thoroughly enough to account for all the possibilities of genetic mutations in a family tree, and testing for all of them would be ridiculous. In general, one inbreeding slip up won’t ruin a population, but when it becomes a regular occurance, it becomes very unhealthy.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:00:17 +0000

Don’t forget to the Spanish and French Bourbons. They inbred much the same as the Hapsburgs.
Talk about the eww factor. I did my husbands genealogy. His maternal great grandmother’s family is loaded with close relations. For five generations second and third cousins married. Their parents were second and third cousins as were their parents. I have wondered if this is why his great grandmother had so many health problems.
As for the inbreeding of animals. This is why so many breeds have such major health issues. I had a female and one of her pups. The previous owner bred her to a male where half of the ancestors were the same. She and her son both had hip problems, totally deaf and died of massive heart attacks. Their deaths occurred years before standard death rate for the breed. The mother had several generations of the same sire. They had health problems not normally associated with the breed.

By: GK in MI

GK in MI — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:58:23 +0000

HI Bill,

I have to disagree with your statement “Inbreeding is used by all animal breeders without problems.”

The truth is that inbreeding has increased the inheritance of many diseases in livestock and pets. Certain lines of the Quarter Horse have to be genetically tested for HYPP, a deadly disease. Many breeds of dogs are at high risk for hip dysplasia, epilepsy, eye problems and more. Yes breeders do use inbreeding, but there are problems and many times the affected animal has to be euthanized.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 05:48:25 +0000

Wrong presumption, it is not that simple!

Inbreeding is used by all animal breeders without problems. Like Asprin, too much is bad, but controled use is not harmful, and can be helpful, provided that the common ancestor has no genetic problems.

Genetic errors are passed on when we breed, so our children get them even if the gene is a recessive gene (not expressed in the child).

They likewise will pass the genetic error on to their children. So if any generation breeds with someone who carries the same genetic error (whether they are related matters not), then the double copy can more easily become an expressed gene.

However, if there is no genetic errors passed down from the parents, then no errors were passed down, period, so there is no genetic risk even if they were First cousins or siblings.

You people have to remember, GOD is much smarter than you are.

For millions of years our ancestors lived in small groups that repeatedly inbred becasue traveling back then, was not so easily done. There were no cars you know, and animal husbandry was way off, so they didn’t have oxen and horses to pull wagons, in fact, they didn’t have the wheel they walked, and they didn’t walk that far.

GOD made our genetic make-up very complex. You carry the genes of ALL of your ancestors, and all those genetic combinations work together to keep the human race alive.

Just do the math. Every generation you go back from you, you double the nuber of direct ancestors you have. Two parents, four grand-parents, eight great-grandparents, etc. That’s 5 generations every century, 50 generations each millenium. Do the math and work out how many grandparents you have alive in 1 A.D..

Fools talk about the “Eve”, the first women from whom we all decend, those idiots never did this math. You don’t have to go that far back!

In 1 A.D. every person alive today, has more grand-parents alive than the entire population of the earth.

How is that possible for there to be more grand-parents alive than there were people on the planet… IN-BREEDING, lots of it.

GOD knew the conditions what would exists so he gave us genetic redundancy systems so we’d survive.

So long as you don’t keep testing that system with repeated inbreeding, then like the cows and cats and horses, we’ll be fine.

If you want to marry a relative, then check your common ancestor for any genetic problems and get a DNA test done to see if the two of you have any genetic errors that could cause problems.

Fact is, there is no person on this earth that isn’t your distant relative. The math doesn’t lie.

Breeders use their heads and science to keep their breeds pure and health, if we do the same we will be healthy too.

By: Gen Merano

Gen Merano — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:25:00 +0000

It just shows that the wider the genetic pool, the higher the chances for the human race to survive. Royal families of the past already showed the rest of the world that inbreeding does not work.

Thanks for this post.