RE: Top misconceptions of Theory of Evolution you had to deal with
March 7, 2016 at 8:23 am
(This post was last modified: March 7, 2016 at 8:32 am by Alex K.)
(March 6, 2016 at 8:18 pm)Anomalocaris Wrote:(March 4, 2016 at 4:30 pm)Alex K Wrote: The assumption that this is outweighed by the benefits was implicit in my 2. in which I meant the net effect, but you're right of course, I didn't say that clearly.
The proposition that homosexuals are significantly less likely to engage in reproductive sex may seem intuitive, but it seems to me that may not actually be true under many social conditions.
Also, I am not sure exactly what constitutes, and what other effects flow from the "homosexual gene". The effect of making the bearer inclined towards homosexuality may well require the combination of several genes. The individual component may well carry direct reproductive benefits for the bearer, even if combined into the "homosexual combination", the collection might hamper the bearer's chance to reproduce.
In that case, the reduced probability of those carrying the complete set of "homosexual gene" to reproduce may well be more than offset by the increased productive successes of those carrying components of the "homosexual gene", so that homosexuality survives in the population because while, reproductively speaking, the total gene may be less than the sum of its parts, the parts are individually damned advantageous, so the parts will survive and recombine to menifest as homosexuality at more or less constant rate even if full blown homosexuals might seem less able to pass on their genes.
Oh, interesting idea! Instead of having a joint effect of several different (parts of) genes it could also be heterozygous vs. homozygous: it reminds me a bit of the case of selection for Sickle-cell disease genes in regions with Malaria, because having one sickle cell allele makes you immune to Malaria - but having both is fatal. Not that I want to compare homosexuality with a deadly disease, but for purposes of procreation the effect may be similar.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition