Path: utzoo!censor!geac!jtsv16!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!jk3k+
From: jk3k+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joe Keane)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Hybrid vigor
Message-ID: <YYrsZCq00V4GI=CMkk@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: 9 Aug 89 01:30:54 GMT
References: <4869@drivax.UUCP>,
	<3411@internal.Apple.COM>
Distribution: usa
Organization: Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 9
In-Reply-To: <3411@internal.Apple.COM>

casseres@apple.com (David Casseres) writes:
>"Hybrid vigor" is about reversing the disadvantages of a small, inbred gene
>pool.

Says who?  People have been breeding things for a long time.  Plants, animals,
maybe even humans.  Breeding involves finding different varieties of a species,
and arranging to have the best traits from each.  This is indeed what `hybrid
vigor' refers to.  Certainly it can be used to reverse inbreeding, but this
isn't a necessary condition.