Cousins: A New Theory of Relativity

They're the butt of jokes and the target of stern laws. Now a study shows cousins run few risks in mating

Yes we're all cousins, That's what I believe, Because we're children of Adam and Eve... But we're kissin' cousins 'n that'll make it all right. --Elvis Presley song, 1964

It began with some cousin cuisine. Paul Gonzalez had taken his cousin Donna on a long trek through a remote part of Colombia. They had missed the day's meals and had only a jar of pickled vegetables and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label. So they repaired to hammocks strung up under the moonlight--and began a love story that has lasted 14 years and produced two children.

"I was shocked that...

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