Thursday, June 22, 2006

Can 450 Vertebrate Species Really Be Wron !

I've posted two versions of an incident that happened to me today. The first is the "scientifc geeky" version. The second is the "laymen, I don't give a rat's ass about scientific explanation just tell me something amusing" version. I actually didn't intend to do this, but the scientist in me just kicked in and I started going to town. [Scientific, Geeky Version] former colleague of mine sent me an article from !eed "aga#ine.com entitled "The $ay nimal %ingdom." It is a review of &arwin's theory of sexual selection and one scientist's, 'oan (oughgarden )a transgendered female*, attempt to reinterpret the theory to encorporate homosexuality. It's an interesting article, if not for the reali#ation that male big horn sheep like to lick each others genitals and male giraffees have same sex orgies. ll in all, over +,- species have been documented to have some kind of homosexual behavior. &r. (oughgarden's ideas that homosexuality is actually genetically signficant and not a maladaptation are fairly important in a scientific community that usually explains such behaviors as the animals just experimenting or they're confused. ).mm, sounds vaguely familiar.* (oughgarden's ideas echo /. 0. 1ilson's hypothesis in his book In !earch of 2ature that homosexuality in certain prehistoric societies could have actually increased the reproductive success of their community. If homosexuals in society 3 have enough altruistic behavior, their resources can be used to ensure that their kin's offspring will survive to the next generation and thereby pass on their genes. 1hile these gene's are not directly their own, they are close enough based on the ideas of sociobiology. 0ddly enough, I have a friend who is doing this. .e has a large role in the upbringing of his nephews and a good si#ed portion of his resources goes into being parental figure and will help with their education, even though their parents are still married and sucessful. !hit, I wonder if I can get a "asters out of him as a case study...hmmm. "The $ay nimal %ingdom" 4!eed "aga#ine.com5 /volution's (ainbow by 'oan (oughgarden In !earch of 2ature by /. 0. 1ilson [Laymen's Version] teacher I used to work with sent me an article on "The $ay nimal %ingdom". I sent a reply that said, "1ho knew that big horned sheep liked to play tennis6" 1hichever version you read, the idea that homosexuality has a biological signifcance is a hell of a lot better than having it declared a mental disorder. 7osted by &rew at +8+9 7" :abels8 :$;T Issues, !cience

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