Third Cousins Have Greatest Number Of Offspring, Data From Iceland Shows

Science Daily ^ | 2-8-2008 | deCODE genetics.

[Migraine]

I think this is way more information than I needed. Thanks.

[Mr. Brightside]

What does the data from Arkansas tell us?

[Sax]

Beware those Icelandic third cousins...

[maine-iac7]

What does the data from Arkansas tell us?

But seriously - it's pretty watered down by the time you get to third cousins - quick now, name your third cousins -

[Arthalion]

Third cousins means you shared a great-great grandparent. I don’t even know my third cousins, or even if I have any (I assume I do). Every one of us has ancestors with that degree of separation, and in small towns it’s still fairly common today.

I’d assume this has a biological basis in insuring proper genetic separation. By the time you reach third-cousin, the odds of birth defects are no greater than breeding with someone totally unrelated to you.

[decimon]

What does the data from Arkansas tell us?

That's third cousins, not every third cousin.

[kenth]

rofl

[blam]

Who is that?

[Sax]

Well, she’s Icelandic - so I just supposed she was someone’s third cousin. She certainly isn’t hard on the eyes.

[Cacique]

Wonder how this translates to the islamic world where cousin marriage is the norm?

[blam]

"She certainly isn’t hard on the eyes."

She sure isn't.

I was just scanning an Iceland site and it said that in the whole country there were 137 people in jail/prison and four of those were women.

[AnAmericanMother]

My dad's from a small southern town.

He was sitting on the levee with four or five of his classmates one fine afternoon, and they realized after some quick calculations that they were ALL cousins!

Mostly third and fourth cousins.

I know who all my third cousins are because I'm from a small Southern town and I'm a genealogy fan. I even know who most of my fourth and fifth cousins are. My great-aunt and her husband were fourth cousins, descended from the same Revolutionary Ancestor (D.A.R. members take note!)

Years ago, I went back to my dad's home town to do a little genealogical research and was referred to a retired physician who was the local authority. We did a little chatting and discovered quite quickly that we were third cousins, both descended from a lady who rejoiced in the name of Victoria Britannia Bale (her daddy was an emigre Englishman and she was born the year Queen Victoria married Prince Albert)!

[AnAmericanMother]

That’s what national homogeneity will do for you.

[SIDENET]

Now THAT'S a third cousin!!!

(Hubba Hubba...)

[SIDENET]

Oops, I almost forgot:

NOT GUILTY.

[fieldmarshaldj]

NOT GUILTY !

[fieldmarshaldj]

Beat me by 32 seconds. :-P

[SIDENET]

Great minds...

;-)

[Jessarah]

My grandparents shared the same g-g grandparents. I think that makes them third cousins. But they were also related in a couple other ways.(southeastern KY)