Two gene variants have been found to be more mon gay men. New Scientist looks at what this tells about the way blogy shap our sexualy
Contents:
- WHAT DO THE NEW ‘GAY GEN’ TELL ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN?
- THE 'GAY GENE' IS A MYTH BUT BEG GAY IS 'NATURAL,' SAY SCIENTISTS
- THERE’S (STILL) NO GAY GENE
- WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
- 'GAY GEN': SCIENCE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK, WE'RE BORN THIS WAY. LET’S AL WH .
- SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE FALLY UNLOCKED PUZZLE OF WHY PEOPLE ARE GAY
- THE 'GAY GENE' IS A TOTAL MYTH, MASSIVE STUDY CONCLUS
- SEARCH FOR 'GAY GEN' COM UP SHORT IN LARGE NEW STUDY
WHAT DO THE NEW ‘GAY GEN’ TELL ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN?
* are gay genes real *
2% of women and men, rpectively, intify as gay.
Dpe the numbers, many people still nsir homosexual behavr to be an anomalo choice.
However, blogists have documented homosexual behavr more than 450 speci, argug that same-sex behavr is not an unnatural choice, and may fact play a val role wh populatns. The hunt for ‘gay gen’.
THE 'GAY GENE' IS A MYTH BUT BEG GAY IS 'NATURAL,' SAY SCIENTISTS
What are 'gay gen' and are they real? This article looks at key rearch to the hypothized gay gen, ma possible, part, by the Human Genome Project. I argue that the plexy of both geics and human sexualy mands a tly cril approach: one that tak to acunt femist … * are gay genes real *
The 2019 study is the latt a hunt for “gay gen” that began 1993, when Dean Hamer lked male homosexualy to a sectn of the X chromosome.
THERE’S (STILL) NO GAY GENE
Why are people gay? Are they gay by choice or is beg gay geic? Are they born gay? Learn about the and reasons for beg gay. * are gay genes real *
As the ease and affordabily of genome sequencg creased, addnal gene ndidat have emerged wh potential lks to homosexual behavr. So-lled genome-wi associatn studi intified a gene lled SLITRK6, which is active a bra regn lled the diencephalon that differs size between people who are homosexual or heterosexual.
Wh multiple gene ndidat beg lked to homosexualy, seemed highly unlikely that a sgle “gay” gene exists. In rats, manipulatn of hormon durg pregnancy produc offsprg that exhib homosexual behavr.
WHY ARE PEOPLE GAY? GAY BY CHOICE OR IS BEG GAY GEIC?
Why do homosexual behavr exist? Several hypoth have been advanced to expla how homosexualy n be beneficial perpetuatg faial gen. Gay uncl and nts, for example, are “helpers the nt” that help raise other fay members’ children to nurture the fay tree.
'GAY GEN': SCIENCE IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK, WE'RE BORN THIS WAY. LET’S AL WH .
Another ia suggts that homosexualy is a “tra-off tra. ” For example, certa gen women help crease their fertily, but if the gen are exprsed a male, they predispose him toward homosexualy.
While there is no sgle “gay gene, ” there is overwhelmg evince of a blogil basis for sexual orientatn that is programmed to the bra before birth based on a mix of geics and prenatal ndns, none of which the fet choos. Didn’t we already know there were “gay gen”? We have known for s that sexual orientatn is partly herable men, thanks to studi of fai which some people are straight and some people are gay.
SCIENTISTS MAY HAVE FALLY UNLOCKED PUZZLE OF WHY PEOPLE ARE GAY
In 1993, geic variatns a regn on the X chromosome men were lked to whether they were heterosexual or homosexual, and 1995, a regn on chromosome 8 was intified. Both fdgs were nfirmed a study of gay and straight brothers 2014. Alan Sanrs at North Shore Universy, Illois, and his team ppoted the gen by parg DNA om 1077 gay and 1231 straight men.
Intertgly, this bra regn ntas the hypothalam, which was intified 1991 as differg size between gay and straight men. Grave’s disease is more mon gay than straight men, and some rearch suggts that gay men tend to be thner – which might possibly be a rult of thyroid overdrive. Are all men who have the “gay” variants of the gen gay?
“There will be men who have the form of gene that creas the chance of beg gay, but they won’t be gay. What about women who are gay?
THE 'GAY GENE' IS A TOTAL MYTH, MASSIVE STUDY CONCLUS
Our blogil unrstandg of homosexualy women lags behd. There have been studi suggtg that there is a geic element to homosexualy women, but more rearch has been done men, says Sanrs.
Why should we re about the geics of beg gay?
SEARCH FOR 'GAY GEN' COM UP SHORT IN LARGE NEW STUDY
The latt fdgs open the prospect to intifyg the whole pathway of gen volved both homosexual and heterosexual orientatn, says Dean Hamer at the US Natnal Instut of Health, who led the study that ppoted chromosome X back 1993. Read more: Evolutn myths: Natural selectn nnot expla homosexualy.
What are 'gay gen' and are they real? This article looks at key rearch to the hypothized gay gen, ma possible, part, by the Human Genome Project.
agential realism; cril realism; femist standpot epistemologi; gay gen; queer; suated knowledg. The news this week that the largt study of s kd failed to nfirm the existence of a "gay gene" is not so much a disappotment for those lookg to unrstand the LGBTQ muny, as is an acknowledgement that science do not need to tell what should be plaly obv: gays, lbians, bisexuals and pansexuals are who they are. "Natural" means beg gay is not a choice.