Genetics and homosexual behaviour

Altering a single gene in a fruit fly can turn its sexual orientation around, causing male flies to lose interest in females and females to display male mating rituals to other females, according to a study published in the journal Cell.

The research, by Barry Dickson and Ebru Demir of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, into the workings of a "switch gene" looked at the scientific debate about whether genes or environment determine human sexual orientation.

Male courtship in fruit flies, or Drosophila, is an elaborate ritual and largely a fixed-action pattern easily identified by the researchers.

The male taps the female with his forelegs, sings a courtship song by extending and vibrating a wing, licks her genitalia and then curls his abdomen for copulation.

Through gene splicing, the scientists were able to swap the orientation of male and female fruit flies they studied in an observation chamber.

"Forcing female splicing in the male results in a loss of male courtship behaviour and orientation," the study said.

"More dramatically, females . . . spliced in the male mode behave as if they were males: they court other females.

"A complex innate behaviour is thus specified by the action of a single gene, demonstrating that behavioural switch genes do indeed exist."

The scientists concluded: "We have been able to reverse the sex roles during Drosophila courtship."

The researchers said so-called "switch genes" that trigger development of an anatomical feature - such as wing structure - have been extensively studied, but there are few studies of switch genes that control a complex behaviour.

They have already begun work with other scientists to test for switch genes that might be linked to other behavioural patterns, such as aggression.

- Reuters

ummziba wrote: Assalamu alaikum, Shakur, .     You can hate the sin, but, in my eyes, your sin is biggger because you hate a person with such vemonous and murderous comtempt. Peace, ummziba.

 Es_Selam'un Aleykum ve Rahmetullahi ve Berakatuh Sister Ummziba,

 Leaving the sanctions on homosexuals;i only want to express an statement about your words...Sister,muslim's biggest problem in this world is not separating the sin and the existence of it's owner,by the cause of this tight process;we can't tell the truth to the persons who are so far away from Islam...i believe that this is the game of the evil that agitating us with the sins which persons make and their results why we behave wrong to them then they get cold to Islam...all i wanted to say is this...sanctions on homosexuals is an high issue to be understood that it's background includes an long period coming from the life of the last prophet from Meccan Years to Madinah...Sister,your words above are so wised!...best regards...

Scientists have made a number of discoveries on gays, marijuana, breast implants, and regardless of their findings (that change as frequently), what Islam abhores cannot be turned acceptable.

Perhaps fruit flies have a slightly different approach to life, a different body structure and biology than human beings... for them it is possibly OK to switch genes. "Fruit gays", however, need to be dealt with a "repellent"...