Mistresses may have first come into favor when Kings were forced to marry and find their Queens among their relations - cousins. Some biologists theorize that people are not really that attracted to others who they share a close genetic relationship with. Over time the Royal Houses of Europe became closely related. A King may have mated with his Queen to keep the wealth and power, but found his true love in someone he chose whose genetics were very different... it was even believed that "Royal Bastards" - love children - turned out to have nicer personalities.... really!
Showing posts with label genetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genetics. Show all posts
Sunday, November 2, 2014
THOSE CASTLE WALLS
Mistresses may have first come into favor when Kings were forced to marry and find their Queens among their relations - cousins. Some biologists theorize that people are not really that attracted to others who they share a close genetic relationship with. Over time the Royal Houses of Europe became closely related. A King may have mated with his Queen to keep the wealth and power, but found his true love in someone he chose whose genetics were very different... it was even believed that "Royal Bastards" - love children - turned out to have nicer personalities.... really!
Saturday, August 24, 2013
BOOK EXCERPT : THE RED QUEEN by MATT RIDLEY ABOUT FEMALE BIRDS AND ADULTERY
C 1993 Matt Ridley's book "The Red Queen" is published by HarperCollins
page 223-224
"What's in it for the birds? ... Adulterers father more young. But it is not at all clear why the female is so often unfaithful... A female swallow needs a husband who will help her look after her young, but by the time she arrives at the breeding site, she might find all the best husbands taken. Her best tactic is therefore to mate with a mediocre husband or a husband with a good territory and have an affair with a genetically superior neighbor. This theory is supported by the facts: Females always choose more dominant, older, or more "attractive" (that is ornamented) lovers than their husbands; they do not have affairs with bachelors (presumably rejects) but with other females husbands; and they sometimes incite competition between potential lovers and choose the winners. Male swallows with artificially lengthened tails acquired a mate ten days sooner, were eight times as likely to have a second brood, and had twice as high a chance of seducing a neighbor's wife as ordinary swallows..."
page 223-224
"What's in it for the birds? ... Adulterers father more young. But it is not at all clear why the female is so often unfaithful... A female swallow needs a husband who will help her look after her young, but by the time she arrives at the breeding site, she might find all the best husbands taken. Her best tactic is therefore to mate with a mediocre husband or a husband with a good territory and have an affair with a genetically superior neighbor. This theory is supported by the facts: Females always choose more dominant, older, or more "attractive" (that is ornamented) lovers than their husbands; they do not have affairs with bachelors (presumably rejects) but with other females husbands; and they sometimes incite competition between potential lovers and choose the winners. Male swallows with artificially lengthened tails acquired a mate ten days sooner, were eight times as likely to have a second brood, and had twice as high a chance of seducing a neighbor's wife as ordinary swallows..."Monday, July 29, 2013
MATT RIDLEY : THE RED QUEEN : ON BLOND HAIR
page 294 of Matt Ridley's book THE RED QUEEN
... That blond hair on a woman has been considered by Europeans more beautiful than brown or black has long been noted. In ancient Rome women dyed their hair blond. In medieval Italy fair hair and great beauty were inseparable. In Britain the words fair and beautiful were synonymous. ... Blond hair in children is a fairly common gene among Europeans ... So when a mutation arose in the not so distant past ...for that blondness to last into adulthood but not beyond the early twenties, any men with a genetic preference for blond women would have found themselves marrying only young women... They therefore would have left more descendants and a preference for blond hair would have spread... Hence, gentlemen prefer blondes.
... That blond hair on a woman has been considered by Europeans more beautiful than brown or black has long been noted. In ancient Rome women dyed their hair blond. In medieval Italy fair hair and great beauty were inseparable. In Britain the words fair and beautiful were synonymous. ... Blond hair in children is a fairly common gene among Europeans ... So when a mutation arose in the not so distant past ...for that blondness to last into adulthood but not beyond the early twenties, any men with a genetic preference for blond women would have found themselves marrying only young women... They therefore would have left more descendants and a preference for blond hair would have spread... Hence, gentlemen prefer blondes.
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