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| How homosexuality is 'inherited' |
| 2004-10-13 |
| Scientists say they have shown how male homosexuality could be passed from generation to generation. Nature encourages mothers to pass on a "gay trait" to their male offspring by boosting their fertility, the Italian University of Padova team believes. This would keep the pattern of gay inheritance alive, they told the Royal Society's Biological Sciences journal. Critics of the theory argue a gay gene would eventually be wiped out because gay couples do not procreate. Inheritance theory There is controversy about whether sexual orientation is a matter of choice, the authors of the study admitted to the journal. Campaigners say equality for homosexual people is the more important issue. Back in 1993, US researchers suggested male homosexuality was passed from mother to son after they found strong patterns of inheritance in family trees. It has also been noted that homosexual males are more often the younger siblings of a number of older brothers. Scientists have said it might be that the mother develops some kind of resistance to the male Y chromosome in her offspring that makes subsequent baby boys more likely to be born gay. Scientists doing DNA studies on homosexual brothers pinpointed 'culprit' genetic material to a region of the X chromosome that mothers pass on to their offspring. But other researchers in the US have not been able to replicate these findings. Andrea Camperio-Ciani and colleagues argue genetic factors favouring homosexual male offspring could make women more fertile. "Our data resolve this paradox by showing that there might be, hitherto unsuspected, reproductive advantages associated with male homosexuality," they said. Highly fertile They looked at 98 homosexual and 100 heterosexual men and their relatives, which included more than 4,600 people overall. The female relatives on the mother's side of the homosexual men tended to have more offspring than the female relatives on the father's side. This suggests that these women who, in theory, pass on the gay trait to their male offspring are also more fertile. In comparison, the female relatives on both the mother's and the father's side of the heterosexual men did not appear to be as fertile, having fewer offspring. The researchers believe the homosexuality-increased fertility trait must be passed down on the female X chromosome. They pointed out that this would not explain the majority (80%) of cases, and that cultural factors might be important. Bigger picture "It is clear that our findings, if confirmed by further research, are only one piece in a much larger puzzle on the nature of human sexuality," they said. In 2002, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics produced a report into the possible link between genes and behaviour, which included sexual orientation. It concluded: "There are numerous problems with genetic and other biological research into sexual orientation which mean that any reported findings must be viewed with caution." It said many of the genetic studies were too small to draw definite conclusions from. Alan Wardle from the gay rights charity Stonewall said: "This is an interesting debate and there may well be a genetic element, but it's not conclusive. "It does not really matter whether it is nature or nurture. "The important thing is getting equality for homosexual people." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #29 huper is a dicksucker. |
| Posted by: Glereger Cligum6229 2004-10-13 12:01:33 PM |
| #28 Poop packing. Ugh. Got a problem with my revulsion? Let's go, Pink. Bite me, sucker. |
| Posted by: Asedwich 2004-10-14 10:52:25 PM |
| #27 Having been harassed by 2 different homosexual men when I was a young teen gives me the right to call them freaks. Sorry to pop anyone pretty balloon. I don't give a damm what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own home. Beyond that being queer doesn't give you a pass to violate that personal standard. Just because you don't come on to me doesn't give you a special type of human rights. You get the same civil rights and responsibilities and everyone else. That means you don't get to marry other men. It also means you can't harass much younger people who are smaller and weaker than you as well. Yet the great majority of gays refuse to confront this as a problem their group has. So yea many of them are freaks (in the bad sense of the word.) |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-14 4:11:15 AM |
| #26 who cares. I'm so sick of the whiney gays demanding that we love them. I don't care what you do. Activist gays remind me of the type of heterosexual men who go around insisting that they are "butt" or "boobs" guys as if anyone else is interested in what turns them on. EEECH! It's freaking annoying. This constant whining that we must approve your sex life is so needy and insecure. Can't you have sex without begging for our approval? |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-14 1:41:32 AM |
| #25 "NO "special class" political status should be granted to practitioners of behaviors, no matter what those behaviors are." I fully agree with that statement, and I agree that gays shouldn't try to separate themselves out as a special class or interest group, and they certainly don't deserve any "more rights than the rest of us". But to label every gay person as a "freak" is just plain divisive and hateful, and I'm surprised that it has garnered more than one comment of support. |
| Posted by: docob 2004-10-14 1:20:38 AM |
| #24 Gee you make this easy Aris. Hey guys, look, a greek guy in a gay thread. Who'da thunk it? Yup, besides democracy, science and theater, Greek people also invented hot girl-on-girl action. :-) badanov> Badanov, that I never laugh with your jokes doesn't mean that I have no humour. It simply means that I really don't like you. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-10-13 11:40:28 PM |
| #23 Yeah, bad. He needs to get a life. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-10-13 10:59:12 PM |
| #22 Yeah, bad. He needs to get a life. |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-10-13 10:59:11 PM |
| #21 Sigh. There is no such thing as "a" homsexual or lesbian. On this planet, anyway, "homsexuals" and "lesbians" are actually heterosexual men and women (the only "kind" that exists), who are engaging in sexual activities with members of their same sex, or are bouncing between the sexes ("bi-sexual"), or are trying to escape their sexuality altogether ("trans-sexual") for a number of reasons, driven by psycho-emotional issues, per the individual. That's it. That's all. The activists for sexual deviance (deviance from the norm, that is) advocate for the development of a separate class (i.e., a special interest group) based on their sexual behavior. As social deconstructionists, they should be opposed. NO "special class" political status should be granted to practitioners of behaviors, no matter what those behaviors are. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-10-13 10:50:01 PM |
| #20 Gee you make this easy Aris. Hey guys, look, a greek guy in a gay thread. Who'da thunk it? Thanks for the chuckle, while collar redneck. Unfortunately Aris is not as self effacing about his 'Greekness'. He doesn't have much of a sense of humor. SPOD: thanks for saying what I believe. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-10-13 10:44:47 PM |
| #19 Gee you make this easy Aris. Hey guys, look, a greek guy in a gay thread. Who'da thunk it? |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-10-13 10:17:44 PM |
| #18 Labelling ALL gays as "freaks" presents the kind of image that critics of a website like this would love to use to dicredit ALL who comment here as hopelessly bigotted No worried, docob, I'll only use it to discredit MOST who comment here as hopelessly bigoted. ;-) |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-10-13 9:12:10 PM |
| #17 You might want to tone it down, there, SPOD. I wonder if SPOD just has a genetic predisposition that produces revulsion toward sexual deviance? It's probably passed down by the Y chromosome. |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-10-13 7:13:29 PM |
| #16 "No you are not normal you are a freak." You might want to tone it down, there, SPOD. I know a few people who are openly gay (and no doubt more who are closeted) and they are as fully decent and human as any other individual. I am proud to count them as friends. Labelling ALL gays as "freaks" presents the kind of image that critics of a website like this would love to use to dicredit ALL who comment here as hopelessly bigotted. |
| Posted by: docob 2004-10-13 6:10:31 PM |
| #15 The sock speaks the truth. |
| Posted by: Johnnie Bartlette 2004-10-13 6:03:35 PM |
| #14 How do men who think oral and anal sex with other men are normal pass on anything? Passing on requires sex with women. Most western women require a long term commitment to them before they bear offspring. I am always amused by the gay human rights folk on the web. They try so hard to sound normal. Men that want a penis up their rectum are not normal. No you are not normal you are a freak. You already have equal rights just like all persons. You don't get to have more rights than the rest of us. Grow up and get out of the way. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-13 5:30:57 PM |
| #13 "Lefties are fun when they are crazy." I agree, eLarson. Please come back and post some more, Humperdink. That sh#t yer spewing is pure comic gold. |
| Posted by: docob 2004-10-13 5:09:31 PM |
| #12 The researchers believe the homosexuality-increased fertility trait must be passed down on the female X chromosome. Mama's boys, indeed. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-10-13 4:03:07 PM |
| #11 It's because Bush is a fucking monster - AND CAN'T YOU SEE THE CLOVEN HOOVES? (Addendum after Lileks) Lefties are fun when they are crazy. As the desperation rises, so increases the insanity. The next three weeks should be full of good, whacked out frothing. |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-10-13 3:55:16 PM |
| #10 And here I thought "fag jeans" meant hip-hugger Levis... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-10-13 3:36:39 PM |
| #9 There is no "Gay Trait." The 'scientific study' that reported this was poorly controlled and later de-bunked. |
| Posted by: SR71 2004-10-13 2:07:46 PM |
| #8 Quick, someone get this breaking âscientificâ news over to the homosexuals at this site and this site. The sites are hosted by homosexuals leaving (or trying to leave) the homosexual lifestyle, and address the issue of homosexual orientation and root causes in some depth. Frankly, I doubt these people (who have first-hand experience with the homosexual lifestyle) will be too impressed. These âobjective, scientificâ charades posing as studies have been put out for years. Personally I also have serious political concerns about the deconstruction of socio-emotional cognitive concepts and schemas, and the traditions and mores honored worldwide and cross-culturally over millennia. My biggest beef with the current âhomosexualâ nature-versus-nurture dialogue is that it represents an attempt by the intellectually elite (and the intellectually dishonest) to redefine society and government in terms of their choosing -- and which happens to be pretty damn liberal. Most cultures, and most people, realize that the human sexual response is fairly plastic (e.g., it can be molded into fetishes), but that doesnât mean that atypical sexual response patterns are something any society should condone (toleration is a different matter). As I read Blackstone, to the extent the behavior is purely private, it remains a matter between the person and the Creator. To the extent it becomes public, the behavior is subject to the Rule of Law, and the traditions and mores of society. |
| Posted by: cingold 2004-10-13 12:11:45 PM |
| #7 [Off-topic or abusive comments deleted] |
| Posted by: Glereger Cligum6229 TROLL 2004-10-13 12:01:33 PM |
| #6 Hup, you are a leftist moron. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2004-10-13 11:26:51 AM |
| #5 Huper, I thought that that was the idea ... |
| Posted by: Edward Yee 2004-10-13 11:19:25 AM |
| #4 Huh? |
| Posted by: whitecollar redneck 2004-10-13 8:30:16 AM |
| #3 Shut up, Hooper. No one wants to hear your hateful crap. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-10-13 8:27:12 AM |
| #2 I'm sorry. When the fuck did getting equality for a certain section of the population under SECULAR, civil law become a political strike against Bush. It seems that Bush has made so many fundamental mistakes and misjedgements, he's so full of your American intolerance, bigotry and hatred that any statement of pure common sense comes out as a "strike" against Bush. It's because Bush is a fucking monster - to the environment, to minorities trying to vote, to ethical considerations... He APPOINTED that fucking Bioethics council HIMSELF, and he fires any of the scientists who say anything he doesn't like. The people who staffed the 2002 Councial aren't employed anymore precisely because they put out impartial studies that didn't support Bush statements. i.e. they didn't toe the party line. So don't tell me there's a conspiracy to get Bush out of office. The conspiracy is quite literally everyone who doesn't tell the story the Bush administration wants them to. Just like anyone and everyone who fights against America must necessarily be "with the terrorists". You create your own enemies by branding them, and then wonder why "everyone's against me". Christ. |
| Posted by: Hupereger Ebbigum6422 2004-10-13 8:16:14 AM |
| #1 The important thing is getting equality for homosexual people The nature Vs. nurture argument strikes again. But as usual, it boils down to how can we beat up on the (insert Bushhitler/Rethugs/Chaney-Halliburton/etc.) today. Sigh. |
| Posted by: N guard 2004-10-13 7:37:15 AM |