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There are genes for homosexuality. Genetic hotspots on chromosomes 7, 8, 10, 13, 14 and the XQ28 region of the X chromosome are associated with sexual orientation. However, gays and lesbians have significantly fewer children than heterosexual people. So why do these " homosexuality genes" continue to exist in humans? The answer is incredible. New research suggests that bisexual men play an interesting role in the evolution of these genes. But before we get to that, we need to understand the biological reasons why homosexual people exist. The likelihood of being gay is higher if you have older brothers.
Studies show that with each subsequent older sibling, the likelihood that a younger sibling will be gay increases by 33-34%. For example, if the oldest brother has a 2% chance of being gay, then for subsequent brothers the probability increases to 2.6%, 3.5%, and 4.6%. The biological reason is that during the growth of a male fetus, father's Y chromosome are perceived as foreign by the mother's immune system. Her body reacts by producing antibodies, the sensitivity of which increases with each subsequent pregnancy with a boy. This reaction intensifies and activates homosexuality genes. The interaction of the fetus with the environment causes the mother's body to undergo biological processes of methylation and phosphorylation, which
alters the decoding and expression of these genes. Maternal antibodies subtly alter the genes of the subsequent male fetus, allowing it to potentially express more of these genes. Yes, that's true. The more sons a mother has, the higher the likelihood that one of them will be gay. It sounds crazy, but it's true. The reason for this may be kin selection. This is a biological theory that you don't have to reproduce yourself to ensure the survival of your genes. Homosexual men and women, on average, have fewer children of their own, but are statistically more likely to be caring, compassionate, and take care of close relatives. By investing time in nephews, brothers, sisters, and relatives, homosexual people
spread their genes, ensuring the continuation of the entire family. To some extent, you achieve the same result as if you were playing it yourself. Homosexuality genes exist thanks to the so- called "gay- uncle" hypothesis. Scientists suggest that it is biologically advantageous for the mother to have a homosexual child, since such people are more likely to help the family and not leave it to create their own. And finally, what about bisexual men? Well, bisexual men have an evolutionary advantage. It has been found that bisexual men who have genetic markers of both homo- and heterosexuality are also more likely to be at risk.
Research from the UK Biobank suggests that genetically bisexual men, who are more prone to risk, had a huge biological advantage in hunter-gatherer and pre-modern societies. Bisexual men who took risks were able to spread their seed further and wider than heterosexuals, and had greater reproductive success in the past. This partly explains why some of the gay genes these bisexual men carry have continued to be prevalent in human populations to this day. So, one of the reasons we gays and our gay genes still exist is because of bisexual men. How are you guys? These are just a few of the thousands of biological processes associated with gay genes in humans. In fact, depending
on the measurement method, surveys suggest that between 2 and 10% of the world's population is gay. But this doesn't just apply to us, homosexuality is widespread throughout the animal kingdom and found on every branch of the evolutionary tree. There are thousands of species in which homosexual traits have been studied, but because of past homophobic concepts and the way science developed during times of prevailing homophobia, more and more research is emerging as we broaden our views of the animal kingdom. In fact, this has been understudied for years, but every animal on Earth has hei genes. I think it's important to remember that our homosexuality is closely tied to our biology. We'll leave the podcast here for more information if you want to learn
more. Thank you very much for watching, and see you soon in a new science video. Also, peace be upon you.
