Twin studies suggested, moreover, that gene sequences can't be the full explanation. For example, the identical twin of a gay man, despite having the same genome, only has a 20% to 50% chance of being gay himself. That's why some have suggested that epigenetics—instead of or in addition to traditional genetics—might be involved. One common argument has to do with evolution.
The argument commonly goes: If gay men and women are less likely to have babies, they won’t pass on their genes. So any “gay genes” should disappear. Ergo, being gay can’t be genetic. But this isn’t a good argument. Remember, genes often have more than one effect.
If their model is correct, then large-scale epigenetic profiles should find telltale differences between gay and straight individuals relating to sex hormone signaling, the authors say. The search for a "gay gene" may be off-target, new research finds. Another process called epigenetics that switches genes on and off may explain why homosexuality runs in families.
Epigenetics are. Epigenetic theories of homosexuality concern the studies of changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence, and their role in the development of homosexuality. [1][2][3] Epigenetics examines the set of chemical reactions that switch parts of the genome on and off at strategic times and locations in the organism's life.
Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversionand leads to discrimination and persecution. And 8 percent of male sheep show zero interest in fertile ewes, but get sexually excited by other rams.
These genetic regulators may be the reason homosexuality persists in nature despite the fact that gay people are less likely to reproduce, suggests the new study published in the journal The Quarterly Review of Biology. Edition: Europe. If genetic change were responsible for homosexuality, you'd expect a much higher match, Rice said. Recommended reading.
Usually it's not inherited, but occasionally it is, leading to same-sex preference in boys. Listen again to the programme on iPlayer or get the Why Factor podcast. Dr William Byne, editor-in-chief of the journal LGBT Health, believes sexuality may well be inborn, but thinks it could be more complicated than some scientists believe. Religious leaders who believe that sexual orientation is a guy argue that such research is an attempt to legitimize homosexuality; others worry that a detailed knowledge of the genetics underlying homosexuality will open the door to genetic engineering that prevents it.
The researchers found identical stretches of DNA on three chromosomes—7, 8 and 10—that were shared by about 60 percent of the gay brothers in the study. In "femme" lesbians the difference has been found to be less marked. This would compensate for gay people's lack of reproduction and ensure the continuation of the trait, as non-gay carriers gay the gene pass it down.
The finding, detailed in the February issue of the journal Human Geneticsadds fuel to the decade-long debate about whether so-called "gay genes" thier exist. There are two or more ways this might happen. William Rice, from the University of California Santa Barbara, says that it may be possible to explain this by looking not at our genetic code but at the way it is processed. But here's the catch: There's lots of overlap between the levels of testosterone male and female fetuses get exposed to.
If it appears in a dna genetic code it will code for same-sex attraction, but so long as this happens rarely the allele still has a net evolutionary benefit. These molecular switches are usually erased very early in the developmental process, but they can be passed down from generation to generationtoo, Rice said. Expressed in the brain, TRPC2 functions in the recognition of pheromones, chemicals that are released by one member of a species to elicit a response in another.
He believes that sexuality involves tens or perhaps hundreds of alleles that will probably take decades to uncover. Fourteen percent of Western gulls raise chicks in female-female pairs, he pointed can. Females have two X chromosomes and no Y's, while males have one X and one Y. Ancient Egyptian pass art discovered near Aswan may be from the dawn of the first dynasty.
If one of the females' X chromosomes is not turned off, then there is too much genetic material, which can lead to a off overabundance of proteins. He notes that the heritability of homosexuality is similar to that for divorce, but "social science researchers have not… searched for 'divorce genes'.
But how does it fit with Darwin's theory of evolution?
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