Is NZ's gene pool big enough?

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Geektastic

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#129546 19-Sep-2013 09:33

NZ is a pretty small place.

There are also a lot of rural towns where people stay their whole lives.

Given that there is not a massive population per se and that in some rural areas that population is pretty static, do we feel that there is enough of a gene pool?

It seems to me possible that in some rural locations especially, a lot of people could actually be genetically related without realising.

I'm far from being a geneticist but the thought intrigued me so I thought I would ask you all!

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#898250 19-Sep-2013 09:36

The force is strong with this one!

Inphinity

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#898254 19-Sep-2013 09:42

Inbreeding must be bad, look at Joffrey.

Geektastic

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#898256 19-Sep-2013 09:44

Inphinity: Inbreeding must be bad, look at Joffrey.

Joffrey who?

Geektastic

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#898257 19-Sep-2013 09:44

rossmnz:

Was that taken in Lower Hutt?!

nate

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#898299 19-Sep-2013 10:20

Where the hell did this come from?

Klipspringer

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#898342 19-Sep-2013 10:56

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crackrdbycracku

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#898348 19-Sep-2013 11:05

In short New Zealand is fine.

Start with a basic punnet square, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnett_square, and multiply by 4,000,000 and it is time to calm down.

To be honest you are starting head towards "everybody in the world is related to everybody else if you go back far enough". Well, yes but so what?

In order for gene pools to be small enough for problems to arise you need truly small isolated populations. Like these guys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadoma

New Zealand has a pile of problems, this isn't one of them.

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BinaryLimited

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#898349 19-Sep-2013 11:08

well said!

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Geektastic

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#898355 19-Sep-2013 11:22

crackrdbycracku: In short New Zealand is fine.

Start with a basic punnet square, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnett_square, and multiply by 4,000,000 and it is time to calm down.

To be honest you are starting head towards "everybody in the world is related to everybody else if you go back far enough". Well, yes but so what?

In order for gene pools to be small enough for problems to arise you need truly small isolated populations. Like these guys http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadoma

New Zealand has a pile of problems, this isn't one of them.

It's good to know we can discount that and need to look elsewhere for the cause then!

Geektastic

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#898359 19-Sep-2013 11:24

nate: Where the hell did this come from?

A shopping trip to Pak n Save in Masterton!

crackrdbycracku

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#898362 19-Sep-2013 11:31

Geektastic:

It's good to know we can discount that and need to look elsewhere for the cause then!

Poverty
Lack of self care skills
Poor pre-natal or post-natal care
Social disengagement
Unfortunate haircut choices

Take your pick.

If only it was a simple as genetics.

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kiwitrc

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#898365 19-Sep-2013 11:42

Geektastic:
nate: Where the hell did this come from?

A shopping trip to Pak n Save in Masterton!

Thats really unusual to find society's, shall we say, less advantaged, shopping at Pak in Save, must have been a bad day.

Fred99

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#898402 19-Sep-2013 12:14

crackrdbycracku:
Geektastic:

It's good to know we can discount that and need to look elsewhere for the cause then!

Poverty
Lack of self care skills
Poor pre-natal or post-natal care
Social disengagement
Unfortunate haircut choices
Take your pick.

If only it was a simple as genetics.

Items 2,3,and 4 above, almost always correlate with item 1.
Item 5 misses out because of Donald Trump.

Genetics is only simple if you look at simple genetics With epigenetics, it's getting a hell of a lot more complex, as any of the above may induce heritable traits, rather than be a result of them - as some people would prefer to believe.

Klipspringer

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#898405 19-Sep-2013 12:17

Where is this so called poverty in NZ?
We don't have poverty here

gehenna

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#898411 19-Sep-2013 12:22

I read today that 1 in 200 people are related to Genghis Khan. Randy old sod really got around.

If this were an issue though there'd be places far worse off than NZ that'd be already showing signs - small Pacific Island countries for example.

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