Scientists have proved that, in fruit flies at least, offspring can resemble a mother’s previous mate
The idea that the physical traits of previous sexual partners could be passed on to future children was hypothesised by Aristotle and formed part of the reason that kings were banned from marrying divorcees.
But the birth of genetics dismissed ‘telegony’ as a superstition which had no basis in science.
Now, however, an intriguing new study suggests children may resemble a mother’s previous sexual partner after all.
Scientists at the University of New South Wales discovered that, for fruit flies at least, the size of the young was determined by the size of the first male the mother mated with, rather than the second male that sired the offspring.
It is the first time that telegony has been proved in the animal kingdom.
The researchers propose that the effect is due to molecules in the semen of the first mate being absorbed by the female's immature eggs where they influence future offspring.
Could previous lovers influence appearance of future children?
The idea that the physical traits of previous sexual partners could be passed on to future children was hypothesised by Aristotle and formed part of the reason that kings were banned from marrying divorcees.
But the birth of genetics dismissed ‘telegony’ as a superstition which had no basis in science.
Now, however, an intriguing new study suggests children may resemble a mother’s previous sexual partner after all.
Scientists at the University of New South Wales discovered that, for fruit flies at least, the size of the young was determined by the size of the first male the mother mated with, rather than the second male that sired the offspring.
It is the first time that telegony has been proved in the animal kingdom.
The researchers propose that the effect is due to molecules in the semen of the first mate being absorbed by the female's immature eggs where they influence future offspring.
Could previous lovers influence appearance of future children?