Before class, please read the Ganna et al 2019 science commentary by Mills.pdf posted to Canvas and complete the IKE.
In class, navigate to https://geneticsexbehavior.info/ to explore the study by Ganna et al. (2019) Large-scale GWAS reveals insights into the genetic architecture of same-sex sexual behavior, published in the journal Science. [See Biology and Society 6 on Canvas]
Learning Objectives
- Define homosexuality and list and explain its potential evolutionary benefits.
- Be able to explain, using twin studies, the evidence that no single gene or set of genes causes homosexuality in humans.
- Provide one hypothesis that could explain how a trait like homosexuality, which discourages production of offspring, could persist as a heritable trait in a population
- Know that Ganna et al 2019 studied the genetics of same-sex sexual behaviours and found support for the idea that homosexuality is a complex trait affected by many genes and also by non-genetic factors, also called environmental factors.