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Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 11, 2012 at 2:59 pm
http://io9.com/5967426/scientists-confir...on_ref_map
Interesting study that's come out recently. Scientists found that it isn't genetics that causes homosexuality, but genetic expression resulting from several different uterine factors.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 11, 2012 at 3:14 pm
That does seem to answer the question.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 11, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Quote:Writing in The Quarterly Review of Biology, researchers William Rice, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Urban Friberg, a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, believe that homosexuality can be explained by the presence of epi-marks — temporary switches that control how our genes are expressed during gestation and after we're born.
Specifically, the researchers discovered sex-specific epi-marks which, unlike most genetic switches, get passed down from father to daughter or mother to son. Most epi-marks don't normally pass between generations and are essentially "erased." Rice and Friberg say this explains why homosexuality appears to run in families, yet has no real genetic underpinning.
I guess one can still fit this into the category of genetics then.
And I really dont hink that there is any such thing as "the one final explaination for sexual orientation".
A persons sexuality is just as influenced by his or her genes as by his or her surroundings.
Meaning, a person doesn`t get it`s sexuality handed over like car keys when it reaches puperty.
Just like person isn`t handed over it`s personality when it reaches adulthood at the age of 18.
Frankly: A persons sexuality also evolves out of that persons expiriences and out of the social\psychological influences under which that person stands. - Not only out of the genes it carries.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 11, 2012 at 3:25 pm
This is an interesting bit:
Quote:And importantly — in order to satisfy the rules of Darwinian selection — the researchers noted through their mathematical modeling that these epigenetic characteristics can easily proliferate in the population because they increase the fitness of the parent; these epi-marks normally protect parents from natural variation in sex hormone levels during fetal development. They also only rarely escape erasure and reduce the fitness of offspring.
So much for the oft-trotted-out canard that homosexuality is a problem for evolution.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 12, 2012 at 2:06 pm
I...uh...
Can I get that in Layman's please? D: Went right over my head, haha.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 12, 2012 at 2:39 pm
(December 12, 2012 at 2:06 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: I...uh...
Can I get that in Layman's please? D: Went right over my head, haha.
Homosexuality isn't directly genetic. Instead, it's based on how certain genes are expressed; how much, how many, where and when of certain traits. That's what seems to determine it, or at least has a strong influence on it.
It actually raises some interesting ethical questions. For example, if you were going to have a child, would you be willing to manipulate that childs' genetic presentation to prevent the child from being gay? What about trans? Even without transphobia, we have some painful body issues to deal with.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 12, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Tabula Rasa, 'nuff said
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 12, 2012 at 9:34 pm
(This post was last modified: December 12, 2012 at 10:35 pm by Tea Earl Grey Hot.)
We all know those homo-fetuses knew what they were doing with their nefarious gene expressions!
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 13, 2012 at 4:40 am
(This post was last modified: December 13, 2012 at 4:40 am by Creed of Heresy.)
(December 12, 2012 at 2:39 pm)TaraJo Wrote: (December 12, 2012 at 2:06 pm)Creed of Heresy Wrote: I...uh...
Can I get that in Layman's please? D: Went right over my head, haha.
Homosexuality isn't directly genetic. Instead, it's based on how certain genes are expressed; how much, how many, where and when of certain traits. That's what seems to determine it, or at least has a strong influence on it.
It actually raises some interesting ethical questions. For example, if you were going to have a child, would you be willing to manipulate that childs' genetic presentation to prevent the child from being gay? What about trans? Even without transphobia, we have some painful body issues to deal with.
Ohhhhhhh!
Now I gotcha. 
Yeah, the ethics of shaping a child's sexuality are...well, I dunno. I mean, if genetic tailoring could be done, I'd probably have my offspring be hetero, if only just to ensure my genetics got passed on at least one more time hopefully. I mean, they didn't make the choice to be conceived and they didn't make the choice of sexuality either regardless if I had a hand in that or not. So...
Yeah, I can see how that might cause some problems, there.
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RE: Homosexuality: it's genetic expression, not genetics, that determines homosexuality
December 14, 2012 at 2:46 am
Yeah I always assumed it was similar to handedness.
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