Gay gene study
No single gene associated with entity gay
A genetic analysis of almost half a million people has concluded there is no single "gay gene".
The study, published in Science, used data from the UK Biobank and 23andMe, and found some genetic variants associated with same-sex relationships.
But genetic factors accounted for, at most, 25% of same-sex behaviour.
Advocacy community GLAAD said the study confirmed "no conclusive degree to which nature or nurture influenced how a gay or lesbian person behaves."
The researchers scanned the genomes - the entire genetic make-up - of , people signed up to the UK Biobank project, and 68, registered with the genetics company 23andMe.
Participants were also asked whether they had same-sex partners exclusively, or as well as opposite-sex partners.
The Harvard and MIT researchers concluded genetics could account for between % of same-sex behaviour across the population, when the whole genome is considered.
Five specific genetic variants were found to be particularly associated with same-sex b
Across cultures, 2% to 10% of people report having gay relations. In the U.S., 1% to % of women and men, respectively, identify as homosexual. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual habit to be an anomalous choice. However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than species, arguing that homosexual behavior is not an unnatural option, and may in fact play a vital role within populations.
In a issue of Science magazine, geneticist Andrea Ganna at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues, described the largest survey to date for genes associated with gay behavior. By studying the DNA of nearly half a million people from the U.S. and the U.K., they concluded that genes account for between 8% and 25% of same-sex action.
Numerous studies possess established that sex is not just male or female. Rather, it is a continuum that emerges from a person’s genetic makeup. Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a decision that warrants condemnation or conversion, and leads to discrimination and persecution.
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Massive Study Finds No Solo Genetic Cause of Homosexual Sexual Behavior
Few aspects of human biology are as complex—or politically fraught—as sexual orientation. A clear genetic link would suggest that gay people are “born this way,” as opposed to having made a lifestyle choice. Yet some fear that such a finding could be misused to “cure” homosexuality, and most research teams contain shied away from tackling the topic.
Now a fresh study claims to dispel the notion that a single gene or handful of genes make a person prone to gay behavior. The analysis, which examined the genomes of nearly half a million men and women, set up that although genetics are certainly involved in who people choose to own sex with, there are no specific genetic predictors. Yet some researchers scrutinize whether the analysis, which looked at genes linked with sexual activity rather than attraction, can illustrate any real conclusions about sexual orientation.
“The message should remain the same that this is a complex behavior that genetics definitely plays a par
No single 'gay gene', reveals the largest-ever study of the genetics of homosexual sexual behaviour
Scientists have again debunked the idea of a single "gay gene", in the largest examine to date of the genetics of same-sex sexual behaviour.
Key points:
- Researchers scanned the human genome for genetic markers associated with queer sexual behaviour
- Many genes shape a person's likelihood of having had same-sex partners, but they have only a small effect on behaviour
- Some people question whether the benefits of this type of research outweigh the potential dangers
Rather, their findings paint a diverse and complex picture of human sexuality, and the genetic factors that impact it.
Nearly half a million people took part in the study, mostly from the United Kingdom and the United States, which was published in the journal Science today.
While we've known from previous twin and family studies that our sexual preferences are influenced by our genes, it's been difficult for scientists to pinpoint whether any specific genetic markers could