Why inbreeding is NOT always bad, genetics reporter explains

tunisante September 24, 2016 Health

Science reporter Anna Rothschild tackled the topic for Gross Science
She said she was contacted by swathes of people asking if incest was bad
Breaking down the science of it she admitted there were pros and cons

Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com

Published:
15:41 EST, 21 September 2016

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Updated:
15:41 EST, 21 September 2016

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We all know incest is bad. But how bad?

A new educational video claims there may be more benefits to relatives mating than we tend to believe.

Science reporter Anna Rothschild tackled the issue in her latest episode of Gross Science – after swathes of her viewers wrote in asking why incest was bad.

Breaking it down, she admitted there is a case for inbreeding as a way to protect good genes.

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Science reporter Anna Rothschild tackled the issue of inbreeding in her latest episode of Gross Science – after swathes of her viewers wrote in asking why incest was bad

First Rothschild outlines all the ways in which inbreeding is dangerous.

It maximizes the chances that a child inherits recessive genes that cause deformity, disease, and other developmental problems.

‘That being said, mating with partners who aren’t genetically similar to you is risky too,’ she says.

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‘If your traits make you really well-suited to your environment, why mess with a good thing by mating with someone whose genes might be super different?

‘If instead you mate with a relative, whose genes are similar to yours, you may be ensuring that those good traits get passed on.’

However, Rothschild emphasizes that for humans and many other organisms the dangers prevail.

The benefits are only really enjoyed by certain species, such as some kinds of fig wasps, she says.

Rothschild explains that is because male offspring of fig wasps only inherit genes from their mother, meaning that it is hard to mask any recessive genes in the gene pool.

When inbreeding is needed: Rothschild explains that because male offspring of fig wasps only inherit genes from their mother, it is hard to mask any recessive genes in the gene pool

It maximizes the chances that a child inherits recessive genes that cause deformity, disease, and other developmental problems. But she says it also protects good genes