Normally, when we run across a pointless study here at D&F, we'll make fun of the so-called "scientists", comment on how better to spend the money, and call it a day. It's a good formula, and one of the reasons our readership is now consistently in the triple digits. But for today's pointless study, well, let's just say it needs some special attention.
For those of you who do not want to read the article, here's what you need to know: "scientists" in Iceland have discovered that 3rd cousins are the most fertile. That's right - incest produces the most pregnancies. There's some other science mumbo-jumbo in there, but who cares? People are actually spending time figuring out how often 3rd cousins get it on and then subsequently become pregnant.
First off, this study is exponentially more disturbing than it is pointless. Yeah, it's pointless, but the first question that popped into my head after reading this article is how in the name of all that is holy did someone come up with this idea? I figured things in Iceland must be pretty boring, but I had no idea it was this bad. Can they not get PS3, X-box's, or Wii's up there?
For those of you who do not want to read the article, here's what you need to know: "scientists" in Iceland have discovered that 3rd cousins are the most fertile. That's right - incest produces the most pregnancies. There's some other science mumbo-jumbo in there, but who cares? People are actually spending time figuring out how often 3rd cousins get it on and then subsequently become pregnant.
First off, this study is exponentially more disturbing than it is pointless. Yeah, it's pointless, but the first question that popped into my head after reading this article is how in the name of all that is holy did someone come up with this idea? I figured things in Iceland must be pretty boring, but I had no idea it was this bad. Can they not get PS3, X-box's, or Wii's up there?
And how did the person who thought this idea up convince other people it was a worthwhile use of their time - "Hey, Ásbjörn, don't you want to know how often 3rd cousins are bumping uglies and getting knocked up?"
After getting over the initial shock of this, you begin to wonder what purpose this information would serve. As far as I know, there isn't a population crisis in the human species, and if one ever develops, I would hope that we could come up with a better strategy than incest. Can you imagine the bumper stickers for that one? "SAVE HUMANITY - ACT LIKE A WEST VIRGINIAN."
I've come to the conclusion that the only purpose this study will serve is as a Trivial Pursuit question, or the basis for some talk show jokes. Either way, it's another piece of useless information that will be stored in my brain, until I kill that memory cell with some beer.
