if procreating with close relatives causes dangerous mutations and increased risks of disease, how did isolated groups of humans deal with it?

Question

if procreating with close relatives causes dangerous mutations and increased risks of disease, how did isolated groups of humans deal with it?

In: 562

Answer 1

Dealing with it is a bit of a trick to answer. How can we know? We know that some royal lines bred themselves into extinction.

Apparently primates actually have biological incest avoidance. Males and females of breeding age actually leave their families. Those that grew up together are more attracted to strangers. There might be something about being repulsed by the scent.

There was a custom in Taiwan, recorded in the 1800s, for unimportant marriages, the future wife would grow up in her future husband’s family. For important marriages, they wouldn’t meet until the wedding. Those important marriages tended to have more children born.