Originally posted by: Riprorin
This fictional "gay gene" would have been out bredlong ago due to the fact that homosexuals hardly ever have children of their own.
Ah the same old, since its on the internet it must be true! Articles like this prey on people's ignorance. Then people automatically assume its true, and post it only to be shown again and again, they have no clue about the bias within the "article."
The truth is that their simple analysis is wrong. First one would have to assume evolution is correct. With some of the posts here, I don't there's a hefty population that would deny evolution right away.
Second, one would have to assume that genetic diseases that inhibit the fertility of the disease carriers would have been weeded out of the population. However, this assumes a sufficient time span has enabled the population to weed out the unfavorable alleles. Sadly, evidence does not exist that inherited genetic diseases have disappeared. Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Osteogenesis Imperfecta are two diseases that basically harm the human being before the ability to reproduce. The presence of these diseases suggests that genetic diseases that affect reproduction have not been eliminated by evolution.
Thirdly, there is no evidence that the genetic basis for homosexuality is simple Mendalian genetics, similar to the diseases above. In fact, a cognitive phenotype would have a very complex basis in genetics and environment. One of the major roles that could be involved in homosexuality is the hormonal levels in the mother. Major changes can affect the fetus in-uteri, an aspect that would be very diffcult to study.
Originally posted by: Riprorin
Also, this gene would be recessive by definition because t he homosexual lifestyle is too dangerous to be considered biologically beneficial .
More playing on people's ignorance of science. Its not Mendilian genetics. If that were the case, Autosomal Dominant diseases would never be seen, yet Familial Adenomatous Polyposis is a very harmful disease, especially in the one in a billion chance it couples with HNPCC.
Originally posted by: Riprorin
Yet instead, the homosexual population has not been stagnant or diminishing, but has rather grown rapidly.
That's assuming that all of the homosexual people were "out of the closet" then and now. Yet the hatred shown by people suggests that there will be still those scared into remaining silent. Its only that more people have become tolerant of people today, allowing more people to address their biological instincts.
Of course, this article leaves out two major keys of genetics, as I've said, the hormonal levels of the mother, and methylation/imprinting. But we all know that pushing BS on oblivious people works, then getting them to pass it off as "truth."