Zeroing in on the gay gene

The results of this original study were never replicated, and the biological reality of such an entity remains hypothetical. The team, based at the University of Illinois, say that multiple genes interacting with environmental influences are the most likely explanation for differences in sexual orientation.

Research attempting to identify a 'gay gene' is controversial and in the current paper, the researchers highlight that the development of sexual orientation is likely a complex process involving both genetics and environment. The gay gene was first identified in as a correlation between the genetic marker Xq28 and gay male sexuality.

A new survey suggests that although gay men may have fewer children than heterosexual men, their mothers and maternal aunts have more children than those of men who Join our list to stay up-to-date on all the latest developments in the fields of human fertility and genomics.

Over the years, several other studies had tried to replicate Dr Hamer's original study, but only one has identified the region on the X chromosome as a potential link to homosexuality. The results, based on a scan Genetic factors that influence homosexuality in men might also affect the number of children borne by their female relatives, Italian scientists claim.

However, another region on chromosome 8 did come up in some studies. Related Articles BioNews News. Professor Bailey's team is working on extending the current study with the aim of attempting to identify specific genes. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.

November 19, Zeroing in on the “Gay Gene” The largest study yet of the genetic roots of homosexuality links sexual preference in men to two regions of the genome. Researchers assessed DNA from pairs of homosexual brothers and found that regions on the X chromosome and chromosome 8 might influence sexual orientation.

Many biologists were highly sceptical that behaviour as complex as sexual preference could possibly be specified by a single genetic locus. The popular press immediately seized on the report: the ‘gay gene’ had been found. Author Dr Linda Wijlaars. Dr Linda Wijlaars.

The paper provoked a flood of comment and controversy. Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. However, the research has not yet identified any specific genes. They also stress that a prenatal 'test for homosexuality' would be unlikely to work due to the small effects they found.

Zeroing in on the “Gay Gene” The largest study yet of the genetic roots of homosexuality links sexual preference in men to two regions of the genome. The current study, which is the largest yet, found evidence for both previously identified sites, though results were only statistically significant for the region on chromosome 8.

However, no specific genes were identified, only regions that contain hundreds of different genes. BioNews Reviews. The largest study to date into the genetic basis of sexuality has found that there is no single gene associated with same-sex sexual behaviour Researchers in the USA have developed an epigenetic test which they claim can predict whether a man is gay or straight with 67 percent accuracy Genetics plays a role in male sexual orientation but social and environmental factors are also involved, research suggests Homosexuality is inherited, not through genes, but through 'epi-markers', a study based around mathematical modelling suggests US scientists have identified several different stretches of human DNA which could contain genes that influence male sexuality.

The study follows over 30 years of research started by Dr Dean Hamer, who was not involved in this study, who first identified the region on the X chromosome in a small study on 40 gay men in Dr Kenneth Kendler, editor at Psychological Medicine , which published the study, told Science : 'In my circles, it was seen as "Oh, another false-positive finding".

Two regions of the human genome have been linked to homosexuality in the largest study on the topic to date Two regions of the human genome have been linked to homosexuality in the largest study on the topic to date. Findings in this general area of human behavioural genetics were at that time really plagued by concerns about replicability.

BioNews News. However, despite such tenuous provenance, the gay gene has p .