APP - Identical Twins, One Gay, One Ain't

WinterBorn said:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215121214.htm

"Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not genetically identical. This surprising finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods."

"The researchers studied 19 pairs of monozygotic, or identical, twins and found differences in copy number variation in DNA. Copy number variation (CNV) occurs when a set of coding letters in DNA are missing, or when extra copies of segments of DNA are produced."

"Humans receive one chromosome from their mother and one from their father, providing for two copies of the genome. In some cases, bits of DNA are missing from a chromosome, leaving the offspring with just one copy of that bit of DNA."

"Researchers at UAB( University of Alabama), Leiden University Medical Center and VU University, The Netherlands; and Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden recently published their findings.*

“The presumption has always been that identical twins are identical down to their DNA,” said Carl Bruder, Ph.D. and Jan Dumanski, Ph.D., of UAB’s Department of Genetics and the study’s lead authors. “That’s mostly true, but our findings suggest that there are small, subtle differences due to CNV."





So much for the "Identical Twin Theory". Ample medical evidence exists of differences, even in identical twins. If fingerprints are enough,there is research to show dna may be subtly different.
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Even if they were gentically identical it would not preclude one twin from being gay or the other being straight for genetic reasons. Genes (more correctly alleles) are often not expressed until some environmental factor triggers them. Certain froms of cancer are a good example. Two identical twins may both carry a specific allele expression for cancer but only one of the twins may actually develop cancer triggered by environmental factors that the other twin has not been exposed to. This could also be true with homosexuality, assuming that homosexuality is genetically predetermined.....a big assumption which has never been proven.
 
Damn Yankee said:
So if it's learned it can be un-learned, right?
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It's possible but very difficult. Can you un-learn how to read? Can you un-learn how to tie your shoe? Can you un-learn how to drive a car? Can you un-learn certain preferences for food?

If a person learns a certain sexual behavior and role, recieves pleasure and positive reinforcement from that behavior over a period of time, it would be extraordinarily difficult and maybe even impossible for that person to "Un-learn" that particular behavior or role.
 
Damn Yankee said:
Duh.
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SM: “So it’s a mutation”
Mott the Biologist: “It's certainly possible but has never been conclusively demonstrated.”
SM: “So its most likely a behavior. Thanks.”



Yeah, I think you can certainly use the word "Duh" as a description here.
 
WinterBorn said:
How does "certainly possible but has never been conclusively demonstrated" translate into "its most likely a behavior"?
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Actually, he's right. Most evidence indicates it is learned behavior. There are several flaws in his logic though. #1. The lack of evidence of an allele expressing homosexual behavior is not evidence that it is learned behavior. He is basing his conclusion on deductive reasoning and not the facts. In this case though, his conclusion is probably correct. #2 Just because some behavior is learned does not mean that this behavior can be unlearned. Which brings up another question, can any learned behavior be "unlearned"? The answer would be yes but can ALL learned behavior be unlearned? That answer would be no.

It would be as likely for a gay person to unlearn this behavior as it would be for DY to unlearn English. Both are possible but extremely difficult to do.
 
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PostmodernProphet said:
not at all.....I'm implying that everyone should have a right to everything.....it's the American Dream....to be given whatever you want whenever you want it......the surest way to make true rights meaningless, isn't it.....
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It is but I didn't imply that. I stated simply and truthfully, in a Republic individuals have rights.
 
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