Misc Scientists may have finally discovered why you're gay. - Page 4

Direckshun · 08:00 AM

That's right, YOU.

YOU'RE ALL GAY.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/...people-are-gay

Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay
Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers?
By Jason Koebler
December 11, 2012

Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children.

A group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuals get that trait from their opposite-sex parents: A lesbian will almost always get the trait from her father, while a gay man will get the trait from his mother.

The hereditary link of homosexuality has long been established, but scientists knew it was not a strictly genetic link, because there are many pairs of identical twins who have differing sexualities. Scientists from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis say homosexuality seems to have an epigenetic, not a genetic link.

Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, "erased" between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren't erased — they're passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study.

"There is compelling evidence that epi-marks contribute to both the similarity and dissimilarity of family members, and can therefore feasibly contribute to the observed familial inheritance of homosexuality and its low concordance between [identical] twins," Rice notes.

Rice and his team created a mathematical model that explains why homosexuality is passed through epi-marks, not genetics. Evolutionarily speaking, if homosexuality was solely a genetic trait, scientists would expect the trait to eventually disappear because homosexuals wouldn't be expected to reproduce. But because these epi-marks provide an evolutionary advantage for the parents of homosexuals: They protect fathers of homosexuals from underexposure to testosterone and mothers of homosexuals from overexposure to testosterone while they are in gestation.

"These epi-marks protect fathers and mothers from excess or underexposure to testosterone — when they carry over to opposite-sex offspring, it can cause the masculinization of females or the feminization of males," Rice says, which can lead to a child becoming gay. Rice notes that these markers are "highly variable" and that only strong epi-marks will result in a homosexual offspring.

Though scientists have long suspected some sort of genetic link, Rice says studies attempting to explain why people are gay have been few and far between.

"Most mainstream biologists have shied away from studying it because of the social stigma," he says. "It's been swept under the rug, people are still stuck on this idea that it's unnatural. Well there are many examples of homosexuality in nature, it's very common." Homosexual behavior has been observed in black swans, penguins, sheep, and other animals, he says.

Rice's model still needs to be tested on real-life parent-offspring pairs, but he says this epigenetic link makes more sense than any other explanation, and that his team has mapped out a way for other scientists to test their work.

"We've found a story that looks really good," he says. "There's more verification needed, but we point out how we can easily do epigenetic profiles genome-wide. We predict where the epi-marks occur, we just need other studies to look at it empirically. This can be tested and proven within six months. It's easy to test. If it's a bad idea, we can throw it away in short order."

KILLER_CLOWN · 12-12-2012, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Funny, I always thought dudes were gay because they liked sucking cock and having guys ejeculate in their ass.

listopencil · 12-12-2012, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

Don't make me call the science police. Why are atheists so against science?

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

The **** does it matter if the scientist was openly gay or not?

Because he was biased. Cited his findings as fact and was found wrong. It's called having an agenda.

alnorth · 12-12-2012, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

AGENDA says Hi and doofus says what?

That might explain a motivation to study this, but as the article points out, this is very, very easily tested and verified or debunked. If it doesn't pan out, it'll be quickly forgotten. If it does, we'll have articles coming out saying "we's found where da gays come from!!!"

Brock · 12-12-2012, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Funny, I always thought dudes were gay because they liked sucking cock and having guys ejeculate in their ass.

Thank you for sharing such a personal experience with us, but TMI.

Fish · 12-12-2012, 03:42 PM

Sorry Sir, but Science says you're gay...

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alnorth

That might explain a motivation to study this, but as the article points out, this is very, very easily tested and verified or debunked. If it doesn't pan out, it'll be quickly forgotten. If it does, we'll have articles coming out saying "we's found where da gays come from!!!"

How will it explain people who change back to being straight after thinking they were gay. Ya' know folks like Ann Heche? There are people who are just confused and some who experiment in the mix.

listopencil · 12-12-2012, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

How will it explain people who change back to being straight after thinking they were gay. Ya' know folks like Ann Heche? There are people who are just confused and some who experiment in the mix.

Bisexual?

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by listopencil

Bisexual?

I am talking about the ones that go back to being just hetersexual.

BWillie · 12-12-2012, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I am talking about the ones that go back to being just hetersexual.

I don't think anybody goes "back" to being homo or hetero. Most ppl are 100% heterosexual. And some, 100% gay. Some ppl are bisexual, and to varying degrees. They may be attracted to the same sex, but not nearly as much as the opposite sex. Apparently all women are at least 5% lesbo, cuz nobody could pay me any amount of money to make out w/ a dude.

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWillie

I don't think anybody goes "back" to being homo or hetero. Most ppl are 100% heterosexual. And some, 100% gay. Some ppl are bisexual, and to varying degrees. They may be attracted to the same sex, but not nearly as much as the opposite sex. Apparently all women are at least 5% lesbo, cuz nobody could pay me any amount of money to make out w/ a dude.

I disagree. I think some are just confused; other experiment. Some are bi. Some are true homosexuals.

Heche was married to a man, then had Ellen for a gf, then married another man who she divorced and had a baby with her current bf. Perhaps, she stayed with Ellen for publicity but I do recall her claiming after they broke up she wasn't gay. She has said that she was sexually abused by her father until she was 12 years old,

As for 5% lesbo. I dunno.

listopencil · 12-12-2012, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I disagree. I think some are just confused; other experiment. Some are bi. Some are true homosexuals.

Heche was married to a man, then had Ellen for a gf, then married another man who she divorced and had a baby with her current bf. Perhaps, she stayed with Ellen for publicity but I do recall her claiming after they broke up she wasn't gay. She has said that she was sexually abused by her father until she was 12 years old,

As for 5% lesbo. I dunno.

I know several bisexual ladies. They tell me that they are attracted to both but have a preference. One of them is married to a guy, and her preference is men. Another one is divorced from a guy (he cheated on her and she broke up with him) and her preference is women. Of course I can't say that all bisexual people like both genders but prefer one. That's just the way it has been in my experience. I also know a few lesbian women. They are attracted to women, aren't attracted to men, and have had various degrees of relationship success. Once again this doesn't mean that this is true for all lesbians, this is just from my experience. I know a few gay guys. One is my uncle through marriage (one more is his "husband" of course) and they tell me that they never felt women to be especially attractive. Some of them tried to make a male-female relationship work and failed. Some got married, had kids, saw those marriages fall apart for rather obvious reasons. What does it all mean? Hell if I know. I think we can say it's more complicated than trying to label someone's sexual identity and then expecting them to fit that label.

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by listopencil

I know several bisexual ladies. They tell me that they are attracted to both but have a preference. One of them is married to a guy, and her preference is men. Another one is divorced from a guy (he cheated on her and she broke up with him) and her preference is women. Of course I can't say that all bisexual people like both genders but prefer one. That's just the way it has been in my experience. I also know a few lesbian women. They are attracted to women, aren't attracted to men, and have had various degrees of relationship success. Once again this doesn't mean that this is true for all lesbians, this is just from my experience. I know a few gay guys. One is my uncle through marriage (one more is his "husband" of course) and they tell me that they never felt women to be especially attractive. Some of them tried to make a male-female relationship work and failed. Some got married, had kids, saw those marriages fall apart for rather obvious reasons. What does it all mean? Hell if I know. I think we can say it's more complicated than trying to label someone's sexual identity and then expecting them to fit that label.

I know of some bisexuals too. Like this one elected to congress and openly bisexual. http://www.thedailydolt.com/2012/11/...r-of-congress/

My former roomate who I went to hi school with, lived a straight lifestyle until her 30's, even got married. Then had an encounter with a lesbian and decided that's what she was. Then I had a male gay friend, who decided after living the gay lifestyle, he wasn't gay...and later got married.

I am not saying there are no bisexuals. All I'm suggesting is that some people are confused, some experiment and decide later what they are—whatever they are.

listopencil · 12-12-2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I know of some bisexuals too. Like this one elected to congress and openly bisexual. http://www.thedailydolt.com/2012/11/...r-of-congress/

My former roomate who I went to hi school with, lived a straight lifestyle until her 30's, even got married. Then had an encounter with a lesbian and decided that's what she was. Then I had a male gay friend, who decided after living the gay lifestyle, he wasn't gay...and later got married.

I am not saying there are no bisexuals. All I'm suggesting is that some people are confused, some experiment and decide later what they are—whatever they are.

Sure. I'm not trying to disagree with you, just saying that I don't think we (straight people) can really understand it and that it's hard to come up with any definitive rules of behavior.

BucEyedPea · 12-12-2012, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by listopencil

Sure. I'm not trying to disagree with you, just saying that I don't think we (straight people) can really understand it and that it's hard to come up with any definitive rules of behavior.

That's pretty much where I'm at.

12-12-2012, 06:56 AM
Direckshun Black for Palestine Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $1166510	Scientists may have finally discovered why you're gay. That's right, YOU. YOU'RE ALL GAY. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/...people-are-gay Scientists May Have Finally Unlocked Puzzle of Why People Are Gay Lesbians get it from fathers, gay men from mothers? By Jason Koebler December 11, 2012 Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children. A group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuals get that trait from their opposite-sex parents: A lesbian will almost always get the trait from her father, while a gay man will get the trait from his mother. The hereditary link of homosexuality has long been established, but scientists knew it was not a strictly genetic link, because there are many pairs of identical twins who have differing sexualities. Scientists from the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis say homosexuality seems to have an epigenetic, not a genetic link. Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, "erased" between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren't erased — they're passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study. "There is compelling evidence that epi-marks contribute to both the similarity and dissimilarity of family members, and can therefore feasibly contribute to the observed familial inheritance of homosexuality and its low concordance between [identical] twins," Rice notes. Rice and his team created a mathematical model that explains why homosexuality is passed through epi-marks, not genetics. Evolutionarily speaking, if homosexuality was solely a genetic trait, scientists would expect the trait to eventually disappear because homosexuals wouldn't be expected to reproduce. But because these epi-marks provide an evolutionary advantage for the parents of homosexuals: They protect fathers of homosexuals from underexposure to testosterone and mothers of homosexuals from overexposure to testosterone while they are in gestation. "These epi-marks protect fathers and mothers from excess or underexposure to testosterone — when they carry over to opposite-sex offspring, it can cause the masculinization of females or the feminization of males," Rice says, which can lead to a child becoming gay. Rice notes that these markers are "highly variable" and that only strong epi-marks will result in a homosexual offspring. Though scientists have long suspected some sort of genetic link, Rice says studies attempting to explain why people are gay have been few and far between. "Most mainstream biologists have shied away from studying it because of the social stigma," he says. "It's been swept under the rug, people are still stuck on this idea that it's unnatural. Well there are many examples of homosexuality in nature, it's very common." Homosexual behavior has been observed in black swans, penguins, sheep, and other animals, he says. Rice's model still needs to be tested on real-life parent-offspring pairs, but he says this epigenetic link makes more sense than any other explanation, and that his team has mapped out a way for other scientists to test their work. "We've found a story that looks really good," he says. "There's more verification needed, but we point out how we can easily do epigenetic profiles genome-wide. We predict where the epi-marks occur, we just need other studies to look at it empirically. This can be tested and proven within six months. It's easy to test. If it's a bad idea, we can throw it away in short order." Last edited by Direckshun; 12-12-2012 at 08:00 AM..
Posts: 37,488

12-12-2012, 03:42 PM	#51
Fish Missing Dick Curl Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2086989	Sorry Sir, but Science says you're gay... __________________
Posts: 21,148

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