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Gay Worms

post #1 of 6
10/25/07 at 11:49pm
Thread Starter 
From National Geographic:

Quote:
The sexual preferences of nematode worms can be changed by flipping a genetic master switch in their brains, a new study says.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...-worm-sex.html
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post #2 of 6
10/26/07 at 12:04am
Buat aren't worms hermaphrodites? Sexual preference in a hermaphrodite, all of whose species are also hermaphrodites, is kind of pointless, no?
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post #3 of 6
10/26/07 at 12:13am
While on the one hand this is a step toward proving homosexuality is a birth trait not a choice, I fear that even if that is proven the conservative stance will just shift towards "cheer up Gays, were one step closer to curing you now."
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post #4 of 6
10/26/07 at 12:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by IggytheBorg
Buat aren't worms hermaphrodites? Sexual preference in a hermaphrodite, all of whose species are also hermaphrodites, is kind of pointless, no?
The article said that species of wroms is made up of males and hermaphrodites.
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post #5 of 6
10/26/07 at 12:15am
That's like Larry Wachowski becoming a woman to have sex with women.
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post #6 of 6
10/26/07 at 1:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by horrid
While on the one hand this is a step toward proving homosexuality is a birth trait not a choice, I fear that even if that is proven the conservative stance will just shift towards "cheer up Gays, were one step closer to curing you now."
Well, that wouldn't be a problem if people would accept the fact that there are possibilities besides it being either a birth trait or a choice. I'm not saying that there isn't any genetics involved at all, but it'd be pretty strange if "homosexuality" was a simple trait that was actually coded for on a genetic level. It seems much more likely that it's like intelligence or other psychological dispositions - a combination of genetics and lots of environmental influences. None of which means that it's somehow a choice or something people can be judged for.

This is one of those frustrating ways in which even scientists fail to represent genetics in an accurate way. You get a lot more press and money for saying you are researching or found a "Gay Gene" than taking a sensible stance on the possibility of even having something like that.
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