Why Does Homosexuality Exist in the Animal Kingdom?
If homosexuality is a genetic aberration, why hasn't it been bred out of all species? That's the provocative question posed in Seed magazine, which reports that among some species, it actually makes more evolutionary sense for animals to copulate with members of the same sex--as opposed to members of the opposite sex.If homosexuality is a genetic aberration, why hasn’t it been bred out of all species? That’s the provocative question posed in Seed magazine, which reports that among some species, it actually makes more evolutionary sense for animals to copulate with members of the same sex–as opposed to members of the opposite sex.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...Boing Boing:
Joan Roughgarden, a transgendered professor of biology at Stanford University, has penned a fascinating-sounding book on the evolutionary role of homosexuality called Evolution’s Rainbow. This month’s Seed magazine features a long article on Roughgarden’s theories, which center on explaining why, if homosexuality is a genetic aberration, it hasn’t been bred out of all species — instead, homosexual coupling is more the norm than the aberration when it comes to most animals. As she says, “a ‘common genetic disease’ is a contradiction in terms, and homosexuality is three to four orders of magnitude more common than true genetic diseases such as Huntington’s disease.”
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Book Review
A new book argues that many animals we find loathsome are often made so because of our own actions.
As climate change decimates our fauna, we must remember that the loss of our fellow species will harm us directly, too.
Activists, actors and politicians defy tradition and work to prohibit cruelty to animals.
Analyses show that a shocking United Nations report was eclipsed by news the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had their first child.
We have a finite amount of time left to coexist with large parts of the biosphere, including thousands of species of plants and animals.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.