Study explains why some men are gay and other men are heterosexual.

damien

Got this Press Release:

CHICAGO, Illinois, USA, January 12, 2005— A new genetic study helps explain why some men are gay and other men are heterosexual. The first research project that examines linkage between male sexual orientation and genes across the human genome was published this month in the prestigious biomedical journal, Human Genetics. The culmination of several years of research, the report identified three new chromosomal regions of interest.

One hundred forty-six families that had two or more gay brothers participated in the study. The largest finding was a statistically suggestive linkage to a region on chromosome 7 called 7q36, and the second largest link was found on chromosome 8, in a region called 8p12. There was also an interesting finding on chromosome 10, in the region called 10q26, where the linkage to sexual orientation only occurred if that region was inherited from the mother. This is likely a result of the recently discovered phenomenon that geneticists call “genomic imprinting.” Given the complex nature of sexual orientation it is not surprising that multiple genetic regions were implicated.

According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Brian Mustanski, “Our study helps to establish that genes play an important role in determining whether a man is gay or heterosexual. It expands upon previous research with twins, which has consistently found evidence for genetic influences on sexual orientation. The next steps will be to see if these findings hold up in a new sample and then identify the particular genes within these newly discovered chromosomal regions.” Dr. Mustanski emphasized that finding the specific genes would have implications beyond uncovering the cause of homosexuality. Their identification would also greatly advance our understanding of human variation, evolution, and brain development.

Previous genetic research had focused on the X-chromosome, which men inherit only from their mothers, because of the tendency for homosexuality to pass through the mother’s side of the family. When the scientists used their new genetic markers, they confirmed linkage to the X chromosome in the previously studied families of this sort, but not in new families with different patterns of inheritance. This pattern of findings suggests that different genes may influence sexual orientation in different families – a process referred to as locus heterogeneity.

The study was conducted at the National Institutes of Health in the laboratory of the senior author, Dr. Dean Hamer. Researchers in the laboratory of Dr. Nicholas Schork at the University of California at San Diego provided statistical consultation on the project. Dr. Brian Mustanski is currently at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study was published in the online version of Human Genetics on January 12, 2005 and will be in print in an upcoming issue of the journal.

http://mypage.iu.edu/~bmustans/Summary.htm

http://mypage.iu.edu/~bmustans/Mustanski_etal_2005.pdf

Zillah

Cool

tendofan

Is it cool though? I always find this kind of research is potentially quite dangerous.

To my knowledge the most scientists are saying is that the presence of a gene sequence X increases the likelihood for condition/feature Y. In relatively few cases are they saying having gene X WILL give you Y, e.g. Huntingdon's. As the quote below says, it's "evidence for genetic influences on sexual orientation" not 1-to-1 correlation.

However, it may lead people to reduce the complexity of human sexuality and its development to a rigid determinism. Aside from diminishing everyone, it opens the door for more the intolerant to demand screening for these "defective" genes - and we're possibly in eugenics territory.

All that isn't to say that I think such research isn't valuable or ought to be banned, but more that we have to be conscious of the nuances of its use.

Tendofan.

damien

Gay.com picked it up after I told them. Would have been nice to been sourced on it. Pah.

http://uk.gay.com/headlines/7393

the_syco

Load of sh|te, tbh. More of this "gay gene" witch-hunt, it would seem. I think even when they do find a gene that is in alot of gay men, and they somehow remove it, some men will still become gay, and there'll be alot of defects caused by the lack of the certain gene.
Just because alot of gays have a gene, does not mean that that gene is the cause of "gayness", for lack of a better word.

Hitler tried the old "perfect Aryan"[spelling?], and preformed alot of experiments on humans to achieve this. Those who had defects were steralised. Most of those who had these "defects" were once off, non-hederity. So what was learned? Nothing, it seems. Just because you remove a gene, or a defect, from a human, doesn't mean that it'll wipe out defects/gays/etc.

=-=

Me remembers saying something like this before, in this forum, but I'm too tired to look for it, so I'll let the fairies(mystical beings, angels, etc) look for it, so that they can flame me.

FranknFurter

oh great, another "genetically based condition" to add to my collection:rolleyes:

lol,

falteringstar

no it all makes perfect sense to me ive always thought this, argued it too in 1st year genetics.
Heterosexuality is genetic, it has to be to ensure survival of the race,but not every combination of the genes can ensure heterosexuality, only the dominant and heterozygous combination HH and Hh, the recessive combination hh would have to result in homosexuality. thats the way ive always seen it.

BuffyBot

"Awk! Polly shouldn't be!"

Stark

Reminds me of the onion article : "gay gene found, ostracized"

ChRoMe

Forgive my ignorance but why is it so hard to believe that your sexuality is pre-demtermined by your gene's? Seems perfectly reasonable to me considering almost everything else about people is decided by their gene's (eye colour,hair colour, height etc etc)

ChRoMe