Friday, November 26, 2010

Are there really inbred blue people in Kentucky?


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Why: Last night, while watching Avatar:
RICHARD - James Cameron said he had to go to Kentucky and find a lizard that could fly just to film this scene.
DAN - Ha, ha.
ME - What?
RICHARD - You know, those blue people in Kentucky.
DAN - What?
ME - This is a real thing?
RICHARD - Yeah, they inbred so much they turned blue.
DAN - Oh, I thought you were making a joke.
ME - Yeah, a weird one.
Answer: Yes! But they weren't really blue because of inbreeding. Not really.

The Fugate family settled on the banks of Troublesome Creek after 1800. Mary, the wife of the patriarch Martin, was a carrier for a rare disease called hereditary methemoglobinemia.
Due to an enzyme deficiency, the blood of met-H victims has reduced oxygen-carrying capacity. Instead of being the usual bright red, arterial blood is chocolate brown and gives the skin of Caucasians a bluish cast.
Some of the Fugates intermarried with the nearby Smiths clan, one of whom also carried met-H. The first "blue Fugate" was born in 1832, and a bunch of cousins popped up thereafter. There were about 6 in the 1890s, and one was reported as recently as 1975.
Here is a nice story about one who was born in 1950s and the hematologist who came to save them all. Other people have had it, too.
Source: Pravda.ru, The Straight Dope

The More You Know: Did you know that Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 are planned for 2014 and 2015? It's true! I hope Jake and Neytiri have kittens.

2 comments:

  1. I cantot walk away without ye comment. I hope Jammie Cameron googles himself and runs across this and if SO please hire me to try any chocolate he needs on set.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yesterday: http://i43.tinypic.com/2di0s2u.jpg

    Why?

    ReplyDelete