When is it not incest?

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If you've been married three times and have the same Inlaws, you might be a Redneck...

 

I think in Bulgaria the church prohibits it up to third cousins (I think including). I'm not sure what the official law is but generally I'd avoid flirting with my cousins, unless all other options are exhausted... In which case, Abomination, check the law first. I'm pretty sure in Australia it was a punishable offense, though I have no idea about NZ.

This was very interesting, by the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Map_of_USA_with_Incest_Legality.svg

 

Was that really necessary.

 

Siblings are able carry substantially more (or less) than 50% of the same genetic material. In reproduction, I will pass only half of each of my 22 trait-affecting chromosome pairs on to my offspring (I did before my vasectomy, at least). My wife will do the same. Since I always pass on half of my genetic material, I will always share 50% of my genetic material with my children (unless the coupling was incestual....in which I would likely share substantially more than 50% with them**).

Since my wife and I only pass on one half of each chromosome pair, it is technically possible (but really unlikely)that we could have 2 children who, while they share 50% of the same genetic material with each of us, share absolutely no genetic material with each other (meaning that neither my wife nor I passed the same chromosome twice). It's also possible that the children would share exactly the same genetic material (meaning my wife and I each passed the exact same 22 chromosomes we passed to the first child along to our second child). Bottom line......siblings probably carry 50% of the same genetic material.....but it isn't absolute. A father or mother, however, will always share 50% of his or her genetic material with each of his or her children (unless incest or genetic mutation are muddying up the waters, of course). A father or mother will then share 25% with grandchildren, 12.5% with great-grandchildren, 6.25% with great-great-grandchildren, etc (unless incest or genetic mutations step in, of course).

** To the best of my knowledge, my wife and I will never be invited to the same family reunion.

[ October 28, 2006, 08:09: Message edited by: Drew ]

 

Read Aldeths post above. Technically possible, yes, but verging on the impossible.