Iceland, where everyone's related to Bjork

[Beorn]

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — The television commercial for a local mobile phone company here wouldn’t work in many places outside Iceland.
It portrays a curly-haired couple who just woke up next to each other after what appears to be a one-night stand. (That isn’t the scandalous part in this famously liberal society.)

The two are pictured lingering in bed, on their smart phones, checking out a genealogical website called Íslendingabók. Their smiles freeze when they find out they are related. Closely.
While other nations might find the commercial funny — mainly for its “as if” value — Icelanders can relate on levels unimaginable in larger countries. The commercial works here because, in this isolated island country of 300,000 people, these situations actually happen. Regularly.

Most Icelanders have heard a story of somebody, who knew somebody, who found out a bit late in the game that the subject of their romance is actually an estranged cousin.

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[Fortis in Arduis]

According to Stefánsson, Iceland is one of the world's most genetically homogenous nations. To put it bluntly, Icelanders — because there are so few of them — are more likely to have children with somebody that they are related to.

Contrary to popular belief, this is good news for fertility rates, says Stefánsson.

It turns out that fertility works best when couples are sufficiently related to each other because their genes are more compatible. A study published three years ago by Decode in Science Magazine reported “significant positive association between kinship and fertility, with the greatest reproductive success observed for couples related at the level of third or fourth cousins.”

Luckily, it’s never been easier to find third and fourth cousins in Iceland.

So much for interracial, darlings.

[Motörhead Remember Me]

One would imagine inbreeding to be a problem...

[turbogirl]

Thanks God I'm not related with her! I hope

[Christian552]

Well TG I don't live in iceland. I've heard of this interbreeding happening in Iceland before though.

[Pallantides]

Thanks God I'm not related with her! I hope

Why not?

Björk is pretty cool.


But my favorite is Hafdis Huld:
[YOUTUBE]EhBqdR1oDyg[/YOUTUBE]

[SilverKnight]

Pretty interesting topic I didn't know anything about this, but it isn't a such a surprise to me knowing how small their population is.

I'm proud to say I have found more then 100 cousins (close/distant) in 23andme

[Logan]

None better.

[YOUTUBE]3RSHDN01KhQ[/YOUTUBE]

[turbogirl]

So you like Iceland's saga, my friend !

[WitheredWhiteness]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_HOs25LLxI

I think that Iceland is the most amazing place on earth. And now knowing these interesting facts about Icelanders makes me want to go there even more. Anyhow... can you imagine waking up next to you cousin?

That's both weird and intriguing and fun at the same time... you can always talk about your common relatives afterwards...