- Only men’s sperm telomere length was considered.
To be expected of any follow up study on spermicide telomere length, but as pointed out by several people, telomere length isn’t everything, and telomere length in spermatozoa isn’t everything. Basic definition: Telomeres are protective end caps for chromosomes. Not individual genes or ACGT pairs. Generally individuals have more telomeres when they’re born and less when they die. You lose telomeres pair by pair as cells divide; chromosomes can afford to lose “the last pair” and still be okay for billions of cell divisions to come. So while the overall telomere content of the male cell may be subpar, the sperm cells (with half copies) still did okay telomere-wise. Problem is, if those protective caps are protecting garbage DNA it’s not worth it. Also, if the cell structure is a mess, the sperm will never connect with its intended gamete.
- Female germ line telomeres are longest at puberty.
This is terrifying for Lucas-logic. The article specifically discusses aneuploidy in geriatric pregnancy. Aneuploidy is an abnormal number of chromosomes; geriatric pregnancy is where mom is 35+. This is why increased risk of trisomy 21/Down Syndrome with those pregnancies. However. Girls are hitting puberty as young as 9 these days with advances in diet and hormone exposure. The first oocytes a woman releases have the longest telomeres. In Lucas land this literally means “old enough to bleed, old enough to breed.” Just in case there was any question as to whether he was a pedophile. If she menstruates, she had released a fertile egg with long telomeres that will go to waste without fertilization.
- All sperm have long telomeres.
That means that no matter how old the man, the telomere value of the sperm is the same. Of course, younger DNA with fewer replications statistically has the least chance of harmful mutations passed on to offspring. Which still means younger parents including younger dads make better offspring.
- Incest means longer telomeres.
Okay, it really doesn’t, but Lucas has no argument anymore with the “intragenerational sex is like incest” thing if incest is better for telomeres. The researcher points out that the telomere offspring effect was strongest for lab grown mice, aka those mice most likely to be inbred for purposes of scientific research. The effect did not carry to wild mice populations or even human populations.
Lucas has and always will be full of shit with his telomeres argument. Pop science latched onto a highly theoretical study with little real world value, Lucas latched onto it, now he’s basing his pedophilia on it. But telomeres don’t matter. What matters for longevity purposes is the quality of modern medicine. People with Down Syndrome, doomed by bad telomeres, can now live long lives with as much meaning as their non-disabled counterparts. The same cannot be said for this motherfucking idiot.
Thanks for my new John S(exually) Bulla, KF
