Not what it sounds like, I swear.

I procrastinated a paper due tomorrow morning till now for my evolutionary biology class. It was open ended but needed to answer this question: How has genetic drift or selection (positive, negative, natural, sexual, etc.) affected human subpopulations?

I looked up genetic diseases in isolated populations and started reading about fumarase deficiency, a very prevalent form of mental retardation found in warren jeff's communes in AZ and almost no where else. Apparently like 20 cases were reported in 15 years in this small community. In the last decade only 10 cases have been reported worldwide!

Crazy stuff- got me thinking, with early LDS (not FLDS) polygamy and inbreeding, are there any other genetic diseases or issues faced only or mostly by mormons? Maybe ones passed down to current generations?

I have polygamist family just three generations back, and there's nothing wr, wru, wrong with me.

I have a friend in Colorado City. His sister (maybe half sister) has two Fumarase children out of five. She gets a considerable amount of $ from the govt. for each child and considers herself blessed because of it. Last time I saw her, she was pregnant again and commented that she hopes this one is also a special needs baby to so she can get more govt. assistance. I was speechless. (Bleeding the Beast !)

Wow that is just....interesting to say the least. Never quite understood mentalities like that

Besides obvious and disabling genetic malformations, recent discoveries in the field of epigenetics indicate that genetic markers for many life events and experiences are also passed on to the new generation. Thus, close relative inbreeding will pass on many defective genes and mutations that won't necessarily become immediately visible, in addition to major disorders. Genetic strength of the kin groups will weaken over time, leading to many unforeseen and mostly negative consequences for their descendants.

It's not only polygamists...even since polygamy ended, Utah has tended towards "inbreeding." Don't marry outside your religion, or your "race," or even your town, the mormon profits counseled. And the members obeyed.

Here's an interesting story on this subject -- and especially personally interesting, because one of my cousins married into the family of the author, and one of my cousin's children died at 26 due to nephritis. Which was inherited from inbreeding, faithful "mormon pioneers."

http://human-nature.com/science-as-culture/walker.html

You know what, this is so true. When you think about the early mormons that were all told to marry within the faith, there had to have been cousins getting it on left and right. At least mormons would bring in a LITTLE genetic diversity through missionary work (brings a whole new meaning to 'flirt to convert')

There are many "close connections" between every family. Given that many of these families have lived in this town for a very long time, come from polygamous backgrounds and are very prolific, it is rather frightening to think of how homogeneous the collective gene pool is.

While at BYU in the 1960's, I dated a boy who had no fingernail on one (or both?) of his pinky fingers.

Google Anonychia Congenita. An autosomal recessive trait.

Is that when you delay masturbating until tomorrow?

I prefer procrastinating via masturbation

It seems to me we're discussing "delayed ejaculation," sometimes termed "retarded ejaculation," which doesn't have anything to do with genetic inbreeding, or maybe it does? Stupid Mormons reproducing more stupid Mormons? Is a compulsively masturbating Mormon a Jack(off) Mormon?

--theCarnalFiend

The church is a product of ideological inbreeding. Maybe the GAs should learn the banjo.

Interesting topic which leads me to 23andme.com. When I mention DNA testing, my mormon side of the family just stares with that Mormon face. I wonder if TBM Mormons are doing DNA testing? Might be interesting.

Lots of TBMs are doing genetic testing.
But not through that secular, non-mormon, 23-and-me company.
Elohim forbid!

They, of course, all go through ancestrydna. You know, ancestry.com. Which was founded by mormons, is owned by mormons, and on which they get a free-for-life login (instead of having to pay a monthly fee like us gentiles) as long as they're a church member, 'cause the church and ancestry made a deal to share data.

So, see, you're just asking about SATAN'S genetic testing.
Ask about the Lord's genetic testing, at ancestry, and they'll answer!

I did 23&me for genetic testing instead of Ancestry because of the Mo connection to Ancestry. So glad I did not give a cent to a Mo company.

I got the kit from Ancestry because they offered it very cheaply in December. I'm sure Ancestry will do a good job of determining my human ancestry. But I have since come to understand that the company does not tell you about your Neanderthal or Denisovian roots. I suppose that information, that some of our ancestors are from a different sub-species, is too much to bear for some people.

Ah yes, the Neanderthal traits. I had 271 traits. My ex-TBM wife said she thought the number was a little low...

I never took the time to verify, but several of my nurse coworkers said Cystic Fibrosis is much more common among those with polygamous ancestors.

have a hereditary kidney ailment - Alport's Syndrome - that turned up in an earlier thread like this one. It is classified as a "Rare Disease," but when you ramp up the chromosomal variations in the gene pool, as with inbreeding, turns out it isn't so rare.

My father died of it at age 42. Back then, there was nothing that could be done. Dialysis was in its infancy and my Dad did not have access to it.

I wish I had known more about it before passing it to my son. I am beginning to believe that ANYONE who is considering committing biological parenthood should have testing for possible chromosomal issues.

It has been nearly 20 years now. A woman posted here frequently, as an ex-Mormon, who suffered from a kidney disease due to being a descendant of polygamists. She grew up in Delta Utah. She passed away in her early 50's waiting for a kidney transplant. Her husband called me after she passed away and thanked me as exmormon.org was a support for her. He was still a Mormon when he made the call. This church has destroyed many lives.