Consanguinity refers to having a common ancestor and can be represented in a family tree. It is used in anti-incest laws and to determine inheritance. Genetic inbreeding can also determine the risk of inheriting genetic disorders.
Consanguinity is the property of having the same kinship as another, or, in other words, having a common ancestor. There are degrees of consanguinity; for example, sisters are more closely related than cousins, the former having a common ancestor only one generation apart. There may also be different definitions of consanguinity, as is often the case for legal purposes. For example, if a law states that relatives cannot marry each other, the definition of kin may be limited to those who share a parent or grandparent, but not those who share only a great-grandparent.
The relationships of a group of individuals can be represented in an inbreeding tree, commonly called a family tree. In a family tree, each generation is usually shown in a separate row or column, with solid lines indicating descent and dashed lines indicating marriage. Sometimes consanguinity includes adoptive relationships in addition to genetic ones. Some cultures consider two people to be the same parentage if they share a male ancestor but not a female ancestor, or vice versa. Kinship relationships are sometimes distinguished between consanguinity, or genetic descent, and affinity, or marriage-based relationships.
In addition to anti-incest marriage laws, consanguinity can be used to determine who inherits the estate of a person who dies without leaving a will. For example, the person with the fewest generations of ancestral separation from the deceased may be the default heir. In the United States, if the deceased has a living spouse, he or she inherits the estate, with children succeeding. If the deceased has no descendants, the parents of the deceased can inherit. If there are no living children or parents, the descendants of the deceased’s parents, i.e. siblings of the deceased, inherit the estate, followed by the descendants of the deceased’s grandparents.
Genetic inbreeding can also be used to determine a person’s risk of inheriting certain genetic disorders. If both parents had a genetic condition, or if two or more grandparents had it, there is often a higher risk that the person will develop the disease. Married couples are often tested for the presence of genes responsible for certain disorders to consider the risk of their children having them.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
