tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post7392529979092989454..comments2024-03-28T17:44:11.289+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: A note on the viability (and desirability) of cousin marriage under historical conditionsBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-90571495515853750752014-07-18T01:07:00.758+01:002014-07-18T01:07:00.758+01:00As an example, the German Shepherd breed was creat...As an example, the German Shepherd breed was created via heavy culling of unwanted young. A lot of inbreeding for desired qualities + killing or not-breeding of any stock with undesired traits. We purchased a pure-bred and when my wife read up on the history she was horrified. George Goerlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07916687977887167466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-72141739804575078402014-07-16T14:20:06.640+01:002014-07-16T14:20:06.640+01:00@Karl - Good point. Animal breeders (of course!) w...@Karl - Good point. Animal breeders (of course!) work by inbreeding, they don't avoid it. But they cull the failures - or at least exclude them from the breeding stock, which amounts to the same thing. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-48559115893892230002014-07-16T13:27:14.509+01:002014-07-16T13:27:14.509+01:00In fact the eugenic argument against inbreeding is...In fact the eugenic argument against inbreeding is valid only in the short term. Outbreeding, by masking deleterious recessive genes, may give your children a better phenotype, but by delaying the necessary purifying selection it probably harms your great-great-grandchildren. Perhaps someone who knows can tell me whether cattle breeders bother to avoid inbreeding.Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06030980000235824571noreply@blogger.com