This was posted on another forum I frequent.Linky
Article:
Scientists Make Fruit Flies Gay, Then Straight Again
While several studies find homosexuality in humans and other animals is biological rather than learned, a question remains over whether it's a hard-wired phenomenon or one that can be altered.
A new study finds that both drugs and genetic manipulation can turn the homosexual behavior of fruit flies on and off within a matter of hours.
While the genetic finding supports the thinking that homosexuality is hard-wired, the drug finding surprisingly suggests it's not that simple.
In fact, homosexuality in the fruit flies seems to be regulated by how they interpret the scent of another.
Homosexuality is widespread in the animal world. But scientists have long debated whether, in humans a "gay gene" exists.
Previous research in humans has suggested that how we interpret scents given off by another person might impact our sexuality.
In the new work, University of Illinois at Chicago researcher David Featherstone and coworkers discovered a gene in fruit flies they call "genderblind," or GB. A mutation in GB turns flies bisexual.
GB transports the neurotransmitter glutamate to brain cells. Altering levels of glutamate change the strength of nerve cell junctions, called synapses, which play a key role in human and animal behavior.
Post-doctoral researcher Yael Grosjean found that all male fruit flies with a mutation in their GB gene courted other males.
"It was very dramatic," Featherstone said. "The GB mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female. They even attempted copulation."
Overreaction
Other genes are known to alter sexual orientation, but most just control whether the brain develops as genetically male or female. It's not known why a male brain does male things and a female brain acts in female ways, Featherstone and his colleagues say.
"Based on our previous work, we reasoned that GB mutants might show homosexual behavior because their glutamatergic synapses were altered in some way," Featherstone said. "Homosexual courtship might be sort of an 'overreaction' to sexual stimuli."
To test this, the researchers genetically altered synapse strength, independent of GB. They also gave flies drugs to alter synapse strength. As predicted, they were able to turn fly homosexuality on and off, within hours.
"It was amazing. I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired," Featherstone said. "This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."
Sense of smell
The team figured fly brains maintain two sensory circuits: one to trigger heterosexual behavior and one for homosexual. When GB suppresses glutamatergic synapses, the homosexual circuit is blocked, the thinking goes.
So they did more tests. As expected, without GB to suppress synapse strength, the flies no longer interpreted smells the same way. The smells in question come in the form of pheromones, chemicals that affect sexual behavior in much of the animal kingdom.
It is not known, however, to what extent human attraction is affected by pheromones. A study in 2005 found that when smelling a chemical from testosterone, portions of the human brains active in sexual activity were turned on in gay men and straight women, but not in straight men.
But at least among fruit flies, "pheromones are powerful sexual stimuli," Featherstone said. "As it turns out, the GB mutant flies were perceiving pheromones differently. Specifically, the GB mutant males were no longer recognizing male pheromones as a repulsive stimulus."
so it looks like, for a fruit fly, how they interpret the scent of differing pheramones will determine whether they are teh gay or not. At least it plays a big part. How do you think this would compare to the human? Thoughts?
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Fruitflys straight-gay-straight, forget to try biFollow
I'm sure that we can get Nixy, Sabo and the other ones to be test subjects for a gay-straight-gay experiment. But I'm sure they'd bi-pass the bi part too.
Quote:
In the new work, University of Illinois at Chicago researcher David Featherstone
Woo I go there
I personally believe in a strong genetic component to homosexual inclination. However, I don't see this experiment as any conclusive evidence for it. There's a world of difference between fruit flies and humans. Hell, there's a world of difference between fruit flies and lab mice, rhesus monkeys, sparrows, salamanders, goldfish or any other vertebrate. Testing on something a bit higher up the evolutionary chain would go a long way.
Belkira wrote:
Wow. Regular ol' Joph fan club in here.
Agreed. Like monkeys... of course they'll hump anything. Vegetable, animal, or mineral.
Some people are like slinkies, they aren't really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
So...imagine.
Scientists are able to create a hormone pill that will 'turn off' homosexual tendencies. I imagine that to be, not only the desire to bed those of ones own sex, but all the other characteristics that go along with it.
If you are/were gay, would you take it? What about taking a pill that would turn you from straight to gay or bi. What about parents who, suspecting a child of homosexualism, put their child on a hormone treatment.
OMG, I can see our military "hair cut and hormone pill" required.
Hmmm.
Frankly, I think if we take away 'teh gay' our species will not be the better for it.
Scientists are able to create a hormone pill that will 'turn off' homosexual tendencies. I imagine that to be, not only the desire to bed those of ones own sex, but all the other characteristics that go along with it.
If you are/were gay, would you take it? What about taking a pill that would turn you from straight to gay or bi. What about parents who, suspecting a child of homosexualism, put their child on a hormone treatment.
OMG, I can see our military "hair cut and hormone pill" required.
Hmmm.
Frankly, I think if we take away 'teh gay' our species will not be the better for it.
Alma wrote:
I lost my post
Can they make a pill that you could take that would attract loose women? I'd buy that for a dollar.
Some people are like slinkies, they aren't really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Kakar, Assassin Reject wrote:
Can they make a pill that you could take that would attract loose women? I'd buy that for a dollar.
if you can't do that on your own, than you fail at life
I've made gay men straight and straight women gay...does that count? Where's my prize?
Nexa
Nexa
“It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But a half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor.â€
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
― Neil Gaiman, The Sandman, Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
Nexa wrote:
I've made gay men straight and straight women gay...does that count? Where's my prize?
Nexa
Nexa
PS. I never knew Smash was gay! I had my suspicions, but wow!
Edited, Dec 11th 2007 1:40pm by Elderon
The image of fly on fly action just got me hot under the collar.
Chubbycox wrote:
The image of fly on fly action just got me hot under the collar.
I call BS. Where's these straight women doing gay things pics?
Seen them, they're not what you think. Long flowing haired coeds ending up with mullets and sensible shoes walking dogs. It's not pretty.
Disclaimer:
To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.
To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.
Smasharoo wrote:
Seen them, they're not what you think. Long flowing haired coeds ending up with mullets and sensible shoes walking dogs. It's not pretty.
Girl-on-girl is commendable, even to fruit flies
"I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left" - Seasick Steve
Mistress DSD wrote:
Kakar, Assassin Reject wrote:
Can they make a pill that you could take that would attract loose women? I'd buy that for a dollar.
if you can't do that on your own, than you fail at life
Well duh. I just want to be able to put absolutely no effort into it. Like taking a pill, and boom. Slutty trailer trash chick in a miniskirt and tube top knocks on the door looking to borrow some water for tonight's wet t-shirt contest at The Mint across the tracks.
Some people are like slinkies, they aren't really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.
Very interesting from a scientific point of view.
From a sociologic point of view, I would be very distressed if people felt pressure in any way to conform to normality in an area that doesn't harm anyone else. I also would hate for people to feel pressured to stay in a minority, if they wanted to try out being in the majority for a change. Basically I want that idealistic freedom of choice.
I too think the world would be a poorer place if we lost all "the ghey".
PS, can you imagine the college party pranks you could pull with a "gay drug"?
From a sociologic point of view, I would be very distressed if people felt pressure in any way to conform to normality in an area that doesn't harm anyone else. I also would hate for people to feel pressured to stay in a minority, if they wanted to try out being in the majority for a change. Basically I want that idealistic freedom of choice.
I too think the world would be a poorer place if we lost all "the ghey".
PS, can you imagine the college party pranks you could pull with a "gay drug"?
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