Intriguing new clues revealed about the genetics and evolution of homosexuality

In a study of data from hundreds of thousands of people, researchers have now identified genetic patterns that could be associated with homosexual behavior, and showed how these might also help people to find different-sex mates, and reproduce. 

…

The researchers found that people who’d had same-sex encounters shared genetic markers with people who described themselves as risk-taking and open to new experiences. And there was a small overlap between heterosexual people who had genes linked to same-sex behavior and those whom interviewers rated as physically attractive. [Evolutionary geneticist Brendan] Zietsch suggests that traits such as charisma and sex drive could also share genes that overlap with same-sex behavior, but he says that those traits were not included in the data, so “we’re just guessing”.

…

Dean Hamer, a retired geneticist in Haleiwa, Hawaii, who published some of the first studies on the genetics of sexual orientation, is disappointed with the study.

Related on the SLP

Ronda Rousey vs. Muhammad Ali: Does sex before athletic events impact performance? Genetics may contribute to when we lose our virginity, but other factors still dominate

Anti-vax Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton alleges conspiracy by doctors, drugmakers, and insurers to push childhood vaccination for profit

Hooked on kratom: The unregulated, natural, alcohol-free “social tonic” that is destroying lives 

Rural revival or corporate windfall? Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill tax law opens the door to big breaks for data centers—but tech giants aren’t cashing in

“You’re not even asking the right people the right question,” Hamer says. Instead, he thinks the researchers have found genetic markers associated with openness to new experiences, which could explain the overlap between people who have had a homosexual partner and heterosexual people who have had many partners.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here.