02.09.2019, 19:16
Largest Study Disproves the Myth of the “Homosexuality Gene"
Source: OREANDA-NEWS
OREANDA-NEWS Genetics studied the data of about 500 thousand people as part of the Biobank project in the UK. About 4% of men and almost 3% of women from the study admitted that they had had same-sex experience at least once in their life.
Considering the sexual behavior and kinship of people, scientists have estimated that about a third of differences in same-sex relationships are due to genetics.
Researchers have discovered five genetic variants - tiny differences in DNA that can be attributed to same-sex sexual behavior. Scientists believe that one of them may be involved in the regulation of sex hormones, not least because it is associated with male pattern baldness.
However, even taken together, these five genetic variants account for less than 1% of variations in same-sex behavior among study participants. One of the co-authors of the study, genetics doctor Benjamin Neal, explained that based on genetic information, it is impossible to predict whether a person will have same-sex relationships.
The idea that genetics can play a role in same-sex attraction was put forward in 1993 when Dean Hamer, a scientist at the US National Cancer Institute, discovered a link between DNA markers on the X chromosome and male sexual orientation. The media called the discovery a “gay genome.”
In a study conducted in 1993, Hamer analyzed 114 families of homosexual men, and found that among maternal uncles and cousins, the proportion of homosexuals is higher than average, but among direct ancestors this is not observed. A genetic link was investigated in 40 of these families, and 64% of the cases showed a correlation between the xq28 gene and homosexuality.
A new study conducted in 1999 questioned these results. After examining 52 pairs of homosexual brothers, no connection between alleles and haplotypes were found and it was concluded that there was no X-chromosome-related gene responsible for homosexuality.
When the report on the study was published in the journal Science, Dean Hamer challenged the results, insisting on the correctness of his previous conclusions.
Considering the sexual behavior and kinship of people, scientists have estimated that about a third of differences in same-sex relationships are due to genetics.
Researchers have discovered five genetic variants - tiny differences in DNA that can be attributed to same-sex sexual behavior. Scientists believe that one of them may be involved in the regulation of sex hormones, not least because it is associated with male pattern baldness.
However, even taken together, these five genetic variants account for less than 1% of variations in same-sex behavior among study participants. One of the co-authors of the study, genetics doctor Benjamin Neal, explained that based on genetic information, it is impossible to predict whether a person will have same-sex relationships.
The idea that genetics can play a role in same-sex attraction was put forward in 1993 when Dean Hamer, a scientist at the US National Cancer Institute, discovered a link between DNA markers on the X chromosome and male sexual orientation. The media called the discovery a “gay genome.”
In a study conducted in 1993, Hamer analyzed 114 families of homosexual men, and found that among maternal uncles and cousins, the proportion of homosexuals is higher than average, but among direct ancestors this is not observed. A genetic link was investigated in 40 of these families, and 64% of the cases showed a correlation between the xq28 gene and homosexuality.
A new study conducted in 1999 questioned these results. After examining 52 pairs of homosexual brothers, no connection between alleles and haplotypes were found and it was concluded that there was no X-chromosome-related gene responsible for homosexuality.
When the report on the study was published in the journal Science, Dean Hamer challenged the results, insisting on the correctness of his previous conclusions.
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