"Generational Fertility at Risk: The Impact of Common Ancestors Revealed in Study"
A study from the University of California, Davis, provides direct evidence that increased homozygosity, or having two identical alleles in a genome, can have negative effects on fertility in a human population. The research focused on the Himba community in Namibia, an isolated population that practices endogamy, or marrying within the same group. The study found that genetic markers indicating inbreeding were present in the Himba population, and the accumulation of these genetic effects over time can impact fertility. The research suggests that having common ancestors can jeopardize fertility for generations.