What survival or reproductive advantage woud have led to the selection of "gay genes"?

Question

How did the original recipients overcome the obstacles to passing them on?

EarthAngel,

I did not suggest it was as simple as Gay genes, but simply that they are a essential ingredient (which you have agreed with). Now what was the survival or reproductive advantage that led to their selection?

Answer 1

No one knows for sure, but there are numerous theories that bear some consideration. There are sources all over the internet that touch on this. Just google phrases like "sterilizing genes" or "homosexuality and genetics" or something like that.

As for advantages to homosexuality, I couldn't say for sure, but after reading Matt Ridley's "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" and other books/scientific papers with names longer than Dosteyvsky's collected works, I've come to my own conclusions that homosexuality is probably a way of refining a particular set of traits...kind of like nature's own eugenics program. This is a LONG SHOT, and I am aware of that. Since it HAS been determined that homosexual traits tend to be passed down from mother to son, its likely, from my own research that it's an attempt at adapting humans to be more compatible with their mothers while IN the womb. Male embryos, especially during the earliest stages of development, tend to trigger immune responses in the mother that *might* put that embryo at risk. Maybe homosexuality is a bizzarre kind of stop-gap to prevent males from being aborted. That's my guess anyway, but I'm no molecular biologist, or geneticist. And it certainly doesn't explain bisexuality or lesbianism.

Of course that sounds like a way out in left field theory, and it may well be, but it's at least something to think about if you read or write science fiction. It IS a good plot device, wouldn't you agree?

Additionally, it's been proven that in humans, at least, a mother who has given birth to a boy is more likely to give birth to homosexual boys AFTER the development and birth of the first boy. The more male offspring a mother has, the higher the chances that subsequent males will turn out gay. In an odd way, one of the potential survival benefits of this would fit into what we know of genetics so far. Male DNA determines that male behavior SPREADS that DNA over a wider area through a greater number of offspring carrying THAT DNA. A First born son is likely to be the lucky shot, so to speak, that will allow a grandfather's traits to eventually be passed on to a grandson. BUT any other male offspring are likely to take different mates and thus eventually "water down" the grandfather's original traits...so, at least on a kind of odd eugenic level, it's quite possible that homosexuality, at least in human males could be a natural way to cut down on the number of related organisms competing against EACH OTHER rather than truly competitive organisms from within the same species.

Well, that's my guess...and I'm sticking with it.

Answer 2

It seems likely that very fertile women who give birth to several sons are likely to have a changed hormonal balance within the uterus...a kind of uteral immune system thing kicks in and there is a predisposition for male siblings with older brothers by the same mother to be more likely to be gay because of this....the hormonal changes within the uterus is one influence in addition to genetic and societal influences that are too complex to be unravelled whatever a persons sexuality...it is no longer thought by anyone familiar with the research into human sexuality that anyones sexuality is chosen.

So It is not as simple as Gay genes, there are a myriad of other influences as well as the hormonal levels within the uterus, genetic makeup and societal family influences, it now appears certain that homosexuality is a normal feature of human sexual variation ...not a choice!

Answer 3

I suppose we can thank Society / Church / Government and their reaction to same sex relationships. I think its great that Gay people can get together now instead of getting married having children and being unhappy. It will be interesting to see if non-reproduction of Gay people will reduce the amount of Homosexuals in the society. For some reason I don't think it will. But it would be interesting to find out.

Answer 4

Scientists think its for survival of the species. In this world, especially long ago, not all parents survived until their offspring reached adulthood and could take care of themselves. Having a percent of the adult population gay ensures extra sets of hands to raise the young, thus ensuring survival of the species.

Answer 5

It seems likely to just be a fluke. Not all occurences in humans can be expected to have a survival advantage, to exist...such as getting cancer.