Just having an argument with a friend
In: 4
Not likely.
Take it like this: The entire Spanish branch of the Habsburg royal family became infertile over the span of 200 years due to inbreeding (1500-1700).
Their children had a 50% mortality rate, which was high even for the time.
By the reign of Charles II (The last of his bloodline), the physical deformities suffered were so bad he had to be raised like a baby until the age of 10, and even then, his mouth and throat were so distorted that he had trouble talking.
Best part about this? Only about 80% of their family marriages were consanguineous. They had a few new additions to the genepool. Your example of 2 people repopulating the earth would have a 100% rate.
**TLDR:** It is almost a certainty that the family would eventually die out before they got anywhere close to repopulating a single country, let alone the entire world.
For a better idea of how biologists grapple with the question, they use a guideline called the “50/500 rule”. It takes a minimum of ~50 individuals to combat the negative health effects of inbreeding. ~500 individuals are ideal to combat harsh shifts in the genepool. These numbers are flimsy, but 50 >>>>>>>>>> 2
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