Please look after my kids

[slimfandango]

I look after my kids. I feed em and cloth them. I guess this is probably best since the genes which make me are, to a large proportion, in them.

If I throw them out, and start looking after the neighbour's kids instead, how many generations would need to pass for it not to matter, on a genetic level, which kids I looked after?

[j2buttonsw]

I don't think you are genetically obliged to look after your kids (which is how people have their children adopted).

[Peter Pedant]

Hi slimmie

We need a geneticist - is there anyone out there? If there is, can you answer the question I am making a bit of a mess of, further down below?

I am not sure if 'they know'. The genetic basis for altruism is not well established for the reason you state. There is a paper about this in Nature a few months ago but I couldnt understand it.

Its a bit like s+x: parthenogenesis seems a lot more efficient (except in times of change when one does need genetic variation to maximise the chance of getting over the change) -but nonetheless, observationally, there is a lot of s+x around!

[slimfandango]

We're more likely to help our kin, no?

Humans are freaks, for some reason that no one seems to know we can just 'subvert' genetic programming, (e.g. for adoption). People try to explain that away, but that annoys me, because it assumes that there has to be an explanation...maybe people just 'decide' to help those they adopt.

But there must be some tendency to help those who carry some of our genes more than others? If anyone knows reasons/documents disproving this, please speak. Would seem pretty maladaptive not to help your genes?

Was wondering from there where the trail goes cold...how many generations down.

[silly moo]

Surely genetically they and their offspring would never be yours?

[undercovers]

i'm not with you - are you asking how many generations it would take for you're decendents to be genetically as "related" to you as they are to everybody else in the world? if so... I haven't a clue!  

[slimfandango]

almost...by what time would they be as related to me as everyone else else by then would be related to me...pretty much equal to the way you put it.

I have a feeling that it is as low as about 6 generations, but I'm not sure

[undercovers]

http://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/article/F48E6B01-916E-42D3-BE47-32F911205F71.asp?bhcp=1

it would appear to be a bit more complicated that we first thought - see the above link,