New Study Suggests Genetic Link for Male Homosexuality

 
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CHICAGO — A large study of gay brothers adds to evidence that genes influence men’s chances of being homosexual, but the results aren’t strong enough to prove it.

Some scientists believe several genes might affect sexual orientation. Researchers who led the new study of nearly 800 gay brothers say their results bolster previous evidence pointing to genes on the X chromosome.

They also found evidence of influence from a gene or genes on a different chromosome. But the study doesn’t identify which of hundreds of genes located in either place might be involved.

Smaller studies seeking genetic links to homosexuality have had mixed results.

The new evidence “is not proof but it’s a pretty good indication” that genes on the two chromosomes have some influence over sexual orientation, said Dr. Alan Sanders, the lead author. He studies behavioral genetics at NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute in Evanston, Illinois.

Experts not involved in the study were more skeptical.

Neil Risch, a genetics expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said the data are statistically too weak to demonstrate any genetic link. Risch was involved in a smaller study that found no link between male homosexuality and chromosome X.

Dr. Robert Green, a medical geneticist at Harvard Medical School, called the new study “intriguing but not in any way conclusive.”

The work was published Monday by the journal Psychological Medicine. The National Institutes of Health paid for the research.

The researchers say they found potential links to male homosexuality in a portion of chromosome X and on chromosome 8, based on an analysis of genetic material in blood or saliva samples from participants.

Chromosome X is one of two human sex chromosomes; the other is chromosome Y, present only in men.

The study authors note that animal research suggests a gene located in one region of chromosome X may contribute to some sexual behavior; it’s one of the same regions cited in the new study.

Specific causes of homosexuality are unknown. Some scientists think social, cultural, family and biological factors are involved, while some religious groups consider it an immoral choice.

Study participant Dr. Chad Zawitz, a Chicago physician, called the research “a giant step forward” toward answering scientific questions about homosexuality and helping reduce the stigma gays often face.

Being gay “is sort of like having certain eye color or skin color — it’s just who you are,” Zawitz said. “Most heterosexuals I know didn’t choose to be heterosexual. It’s puzzling to me why people don’t understand.”

While hardly conclusive, and still debatable, it's still more research.

So, discuss.


g💚jira | Heroic Unstoppable!
 
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But believing this study is a choice

Checkmate


 
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But believing this study is a choice

Checkmate



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Rockets on my X


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If I'm not here, I'm doing photography. Or I'm asleep. Or in lockdown. One of those three, anyway.

The current titlebar/avatar setup is just normal.
Hmm, that is rather interesting. It would be more interesting if these gay brother were separated at an early age also.

I'm a bit skeptical about this research though - If two brothers turned gay, wouldn't that support that experiences they shared (such as family upbringing, growing up, culture, etc.), rather than genetically are what constitutes their sexuality? It just seems like they got a similar experience at some point, early in their lives which made them to develop a homosexual behavior.*

e.g. My friend and his brother are afraid of spiders because their parent's split and lived with their Mother, who was afraid of spiders. His sister, who lived with her Dad wasn't afraid of spiders because their Dad wasn't either.

*
I realise that the belief that homosexuals are not born gay is for reasons unbeknownst to me, an unpopular one. However I don't really have an opinion on the matter as I don't really know much about homosexuality (apart from the plainly obvious bits), nor do I care whichever it is as it wouldn't affect my judgement of a person. But seeing as I'm pretty much on the fence about this, I thought it would be worth pointing out an alternative viewpoint, which in retrospect seems a bit contradictory to what this research was aiming for.

TLDR?: Deal with it.
Last Edit: November 17, 2014, 01:07:43 PM by SuperIrish


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so how can we cure it?


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We always say to fight fire, you must use fire. This is wrong. Fighting fire with fire will leave scars and a new flame will rise. We must instead use water. It is the opposite of fire, it extinguishes the fire, it cools, it refreshes, it heals. We are made up of 70% water, we are not made up of 70% fire. Please practice what we truly are


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We always say to fight fire, you must use fire. This is wrong. Fighting fire with fire will leave scars and a new flame will rise. We must instead use water. It is the opposite of fire, it extinguishes the fire, it cools, it refreshes, it heals. We are made up of 70% water, we are not made up of 70% fire. Please practice what we truly are
so how can we cure it?
With this! >


I've found a better way




prey the gey awey
How can that be, when praying itself, is gay?


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so how can we cure it?
With this! >


I've found a better way




prey the gey awey
How can that be, when praying itself, is gay?

It depends who you're praying to



 
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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
I can't get over the sheer irony of this.


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I can't get over the sheer irony of this.
...what's ironic about this?


 
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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
I can't get over the sheer irony of this.
...what's ironic about this?
You don't see anything ironic in homosexuality being genetic ?
Last Edit: November 18, 2014, 10:06:45 AM by Meta Cognition


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I can't get over the sheer irony of this.
...what's ironic about this?
You don't see anything ironic in homosexuality being genetic
I mean, I see what you're trying to say, but I don't see it as ironic.


 
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This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.
I can't get over the sheer irony of this.
...what's ironic about this?
You don't see anything ironic in homosexuality being genetic
I mean, I see what you're trying to say, but I don't see it as ironic.
Irony: a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often wryly amusing as a result.


 
 
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<.<
I can't get over the sheer irony of this.
It is quite amusing, but I think the genetic link would be passed down by brothers who aren't homosexual.

I could be wrong but I think there was a study at some point that found a higher proportion of gay uncles than any other family position <.<