NationStates Jolt Archive

Here's the link. More scientific evidence that homosexuality exists for a reason. An ironic reason, but a reason nonetheless.

http://www.betterhumans.com/News/news.aspx?articleID=2004-10-13-4

Eh, this stuff's been around for awhile... I posted something about it a few days ago.

Eh, this stuff's been around for awhile... I posted something about it a few days ago.

Likely true since I remember reading something like it in the forums earlier. but I can't remember the topic =p

So I make a new thread and play it the lazy way.

According to evolutionary theory, traits that reduce an organism's reproductive success would gradually disappear as creatures with the traits die out. But if women carrying gay genes are more fertile, their increased reproduction could compensate for nonreproductive children and allow gay genes to survive.I have a couple of quibbles with this. The article is quite correct that genes behind maladaptive traits can survive for quite a while if they are also behind adaptive traits. But, one would expect the genes to eventually evolve so as to only get the adaptive traits. But this has not happened with "gay genes".
Also, darwinian fitness is a subtle matter. It is entirely possible for a trait to reduce reproductive success, yet increase the success of the gene behind it to spread (This can happen if a trait increases the reproductive success of some other carriers of the gene. Ants would be the canonical example, where the majority of individuals are sterile. I have no idea if this is the case with homosexuality. (To a lesser extent; gays can and do have children)

P.S.
The success of "gay genes" may well vary significantly from culture to culture.

P.P.S.
The article did not state otherwise, but IMO darwinian fitness really has no bearing on the worth of a person.