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Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

nature.com

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Re: Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

#4
I suspect that as we come to better understand genetics, we (as a society) are going to be more and more uncomfortable with the findings that we uncover. Physics and mathematics have made it long since clear that the universe is deterministic, that all the answers lie in the genes and atoms and equations we are made up of. The implications of this are dire - our society is built on exactly the opposite foundations; law and order assumes the criminals are acting of free will, education assumes all students are equal, and societal success rests on the notion that all men are equal. None of this is true. All of the implications can be twisted to serve our worst, or our best instincts.

Some will take this study to mean Homosexuality is a disease, to be cured. Others will reject it, to say the science is not yet "in", the study needs replications, meta-studies are needed to verify and corroborate it. We should embrace it, and say that it is good we are not a monoculture, embrace mutation and variation. To be human is to be different.

Re: Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

#5
Wow, the bioethical implications of potentially identifying the mechanism of sexual orientation are staggering.

I wonder if / how long it will be before parents have the technical means—if not the legal right—to alter their child to be gay or straight through gene therapy. Or even simply selectively bring to term one orientation or the other.

Re: Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

#6

"We detected several promising regions of multiple SNPs in the 10^−5 to 10^−7p-value range, as seen in the Manhattan plot (Fig. 1), though no SNP reached genome-wide significance (5 × 10^−8)."

This is the most important statement in the paper.

Re: Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

#7
post #6

"We detected several promising regions of multiple SNPs in the 10^−5 to 10^−7p-value range, as seen in the Manhattan plot (Fig. 1), though no SNP reached genome-wide significance (5 × 10^−8)."

This is the most important statement in the paper.

Let's pretend I don't have a PhD and don't know what that statement means though, can I get a summary?

Re: Two genes in Chromosomes 13 and 14, linked to Homosexuality

#8
post #4

I suspect that as we come to better understand genetics, we (as a society) are going to be more and more uncomfortable with the findings that we uncover. Physics and mathematics have made it long since clear that the universe is deterministic, that all the answers lie in the genes and atoms and equations we are made up of. The implications of this are dire - our society is built on exactly the opposite foundations; l…

Call me naïve, but I'm optimistic. All of those assumptions you ascribe to society fall under the umbrella of the just world fallacy. The sooner that thing dies, the better.
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