In August, a group of researchers published the results of a massive genome-wide association study on homosexual behavior. The take-home message of the paper, which was published in Science, was that while many genes influenced same-sex attraction, genetics alone could not predict one’s sexual behavior. Yet a month later, the Belgium-based startup GenePlaza launched an app that provides consumers with a same-sex attraction score based on an analysis of their DNA.
In the weeks since its launch, the app, which is named “How gay are you?” has drawn the ire of many scientists. An online petition for the removal of the test has garnered more than 1,400 signatures.
On Monday (October 14), the researchers behind the genetic association study sent a letter to GenePlaza urging them to take down the app. “Our study indicated that individual-level prediction is impossible for same-sex sexual behavior,” wrote Benjamin Neale, a behavioral geneticist at the Broad Institute, on behalf of the study’s authors. “The promotion of this app and, in particular, the claims it makes are a gross and dangerous mischaracterization of the work.”
Read full, original post: Scientists Seek to Kill Genetic Test for Same-Sex Attraction
