Gene makes fruit flies bisexual: study

**Logan13** · 12-10-2007, 11:57 PM

Homosexuality can be turned on and off with drugs...........? Hmmmm
Gene makes fruit flies bisexual: study
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/h...lies10.article

A new study is providing insights into the genetics of homosexuality -- at least in fruit flies.

Researchers have discovered a gene involved in homosexual behavior in the tiny flies. They also found a way to turn homosexuality on and off with drugs.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have turned straight fruit flies gay.

Humans have a similar gene. But it's unclear what effect, if any, the gene has on homosexual behavior in people, said biologist David Featherstone of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Featherstone and colleagues described their findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

After a century of study on fruit flies, researchers have accumulated a vast storehouse of genetic knowledge. UIC researchers were using fruit flies to study muscular dystrophy when they discovered a gene they call "gender blind," or GB.

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

"The GB mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female," Featherstone said. "They even attempted copulation."

The GB mutation appears to strengthen nerve cell junctions called synapses. This causes flies to over-react to pheromones. As a result, they "broaden their horizons and go for both males and females," Featherstone said.

Researchers tested this idea by adding a drug to the flies' apple juice. The drug weakened the synapses. So within a few hours, flies with the GB mutation stopped engaging in homosexual behavior.

Conversely, researchers gave heterosexual male flies a drug that strengthened their synapses. Sure enough, these male flies soon were courting males as well as females.

"It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

**Tock** · 12-11-2007, 12:00 AM

Originally Posted by Logan13

Homosexuality can be turned on and off with drugs...........?

Cool . . . I'll pay for the medical treatment to cure you of your heterosexuality.

**Logan13** · 12-11-2007, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by Tock

Cool . . . I'll pay for the medical treatment to cure you of your heterosexuality.

Eat your heart out, this is ground breaking.

It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

**Kennedy** · 12-11-2007, 12:08 AM

Now if I can only give this to my girlfriend so I can have the threesome I've always dreamed of ....

**MuscleScience** · 12-11-2007, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Kennedy

Now if I can only give this to my girlfriend so I can have the threesome I've always dreamed of ....

LOL, Nice

**Tock** · 12-11-2007, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Logan13

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

It's my understanding that humans don't respond hardly at all to pheromones. Sure, some advertisers say you can put some of their stuff in cologne and it'll attract people like flies to sh--, but I'd be surprised if that stuff actually works.

I've been surprised before, though . . .

Anyway, if this stuff works for me, then it can work for you, too, mon petite. And finally, we'll see eye to eye, lip to lip, nose to nose. And we'll happily embrace each other's views . . .

I'll bet the US military would love to get this stuff; they supposedly were interested in a "gay bomb" about 10 years ago. Supposedly they were gonna work on a chemical that would turn Muslims gay so that they'd want to have gay sex, which would cause all sorts of disruption in the ranks . . .
Word is that the military dismissed the proposal out of hand . . . never did anything with the idea.

**thegodfather** · 12-11-2007, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by Logan13

Eat your heart out, this is ground breaking.

It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

Sexuality is hard-wired. The article contradicts itself. It says right there that they mutate the "GB gene." That means they are altering the genetic makeup of the organism to produce a desired result, not using a drug to fix them. To be used in humans you would need a retrovirus to change these genes, and that technology is in it's very early stages of even being used.

None the less, this is awesome research. I view everything from a biology standpoint, so while I fully respect people who live alternative lifestyles, I am of the opinion that sexual orientation is genetic, and in any other case where a persons genetics deviates from the "Wild type" gene we see most often in nature, this is called a mutation. So, it is not very PC to call sexual orienation, or many other traits "mutations," so I tread lightly around the subject, but biologically speaking in the lab that is what we would call these genotypes.

I could see this type of technology beign used in-utero. If they identified this specific gene was present in a developing fetus, and could inject a retro-virus to correct the problem. As far as using this gene therapy in fully developed humans, not for a good 30 years in my opinion.

As far as the PC thing goes. I'll give you something to think about. There is actually a society of "deaf people," that opposes giving hearing aids to hearing impaired children at birth, claiming they should be able to "Chose" whether to be deaf or not, even if the hearing aids and surgery at an early age offer the child a chance at having a normal or close to normal hearing ability.

**thegodfather** · 12-11-2007, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Tock

It's my understanding that humans don't respond hardly at all to pheromones. Sure, some advertisers say you can put some of their stuff in cologne and it'll attract people like flies to sh--, but I'd be surprised if that stuff actually works.

I've been surprised before, though . . .

Not true, there was a court precedant a few years ago. Several women claimed they were taken advantage of and could not control themselves from men wearing pheormone containing colognes. The company subsequently had to pull the product from shelves immediately and I believe they went out of business because of it. There is real science behind pheormones in humans, they are definately potent chemical signaling mechanisms. We are more like animals than a lot of people like to believe, again this is a "PC" thing.

**helium3** · 12-11-2007, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Logan13

Homosexuality can be turned on and off with drugs...........? Hmmmm
Gene makes fruit flies bisexual: study

maybe they are not bi but instead they make the male fruit fly's wear skirts or something?

**Flagg** · 12-11-2007, 12:23 PM

I'm confused. The article says that that the flies cannot detect the pheromones that distinguish between male and female, if thats the case the flies arent bi-sexual, just confused, then the article says that the flies are "over-reacting to the pheromones" due to their new mutations.

So which is it? No detection or over-reaction?

**Pooks** · 12-11-2007, 12:27 PM

I always thought lesbians smelled funny. Now we got proof!

**Carlos_E** · 12-11-2007, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Logan13

Homosexuality can be turned on and off with drugs...........? Hmmmm
Gene makes fruit flies bisexual: study
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/h...lies10.article

A new study is providing insights into the genetics of homosexuality -- at least in fruit flies.

Researchers have discovered a gene involved in homosexual behavior in the tiny flies. They also found a way to turn homosexuality on and off with drugs.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have turned straight fruit flies gay.

Humans have a similar gene. But it's unclear what effect, if any, the gene has on homosexual behavior in people, said biologist David Featherstone of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Featherstone and colleagues described their findings in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

After a century of study on fruit flies, researchers have accumulated a vast storehouse of genetic knowledge. UIC researchers were using fruit flies to study muscular dystrophy when they discovered a gene they call "gender blind," or GB.

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

"The GB mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female," Featherstone said. "They even attempted copulation."

The GB mutation appears to strengthen nerve cell junctions called synapses. This causes flies to over-react to pheromones. As a result, they "broaden their horizons and go for both males and females," Featherstone said.

Researchers tested this idea by adding a drug to the flies' apple juice. The drug weakened the synapses. So within a few hours, flies with the GB mutation stopped engaging in homosexual behavior.

Conversely, researchers gave heterosexual male flies a drug that strengthened their synapses. Sure enough, these male flies soon were courting males as well as females.

"It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

The big deal here is they found a gay gene. Most of you claim homosexuality is a learned behavior or choice. Apparently not.

**Logan13** · 12-11-2007, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Carlos_E

The big deal here is they found a gay gene. Most of you claim homosexuality is a learned behavior or choice. Apparently not.

obviously, you did not read the entire study.

It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

**Carlos_E** · 12-11-2007, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by Logan13

obviously, you did not read the entire study.

It was amazing," Featherstone said. "I never thought we'd be able to do that sort of thing, because sexual orientation is supposed to be hard-wired. This fundamentally changes how we think about this behavior."

Flies with a mutated form of the GB gene are bisexual. It appears they're unable to distinguish chemical smells, called pheromones, that tell whether other flies are male or female.

I did read it.

Originally Posted by Logan13

Humans have a similar gene. But it's unclear what effect, if any, the gene has on homosexual behavior in people, said biologist David Featherstone of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

You left this part out of your quote.

Originally Posted by thegodfather

Sexuality is hard-wired. The article contradicts itself. It says right there that they mutate the "GB gene." That means they are altering the genetic makeup of the organism to produce a desired result, not using a drug to fix them. To be used in humans you would need a retrovirus to change these genes

I agree with above. They're manipulating genes.

**Kratos** · 12-11-2007, 02:02 PM

well, they are fruit flies

**Logan13** · 12-11-2007, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Carlos_E

I did read it.

You left this part out of your quote.

No, you included that part in your post. I simply added what you conveniantly left out...............

**thegodfather** · 12-11-2007, 03:15 PM

Originally Posted by Carlos_E

The big deal here is they found a gay gene. Most of you claim homosexuality is a learned behavior or choice. Apparently not.

Who claims that? Very few of behaviors that are to one "extreme" are really considered to be a completely competent choice anymore. We have identified the "serial killer" gene (Sociopath gene predisposition), and several other genes which mark a PRE-DISPOSITION for a behavior. There is still a lot of enviromental factors that go into whether or not these genes are expressed. There is gene silencing, dominant&recessive alleles, and of course enviroment.

I was under the impression everyone was kind of aware that sexual orientation was heavily determined by genotype and hormone levels present inutero.

**Logan13** · 12-11-2007, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by thegodfather

Who claims that? Very few of behaviors that are to one "extreme" are really considered to be a completely competent choice anymore. We have identified the "serial killer" gene (Sociopath gene predisposition), and several other genes which mark a PRE-DISPOSITION for a behavior. There is still a lot of enviromental factors that go into whether or not these genes are expressed. There is gene silencing, dominant&recessive alleles, and of course enviroment.

I was under the impression everyone was kind of aware that sexual orientation was heavily determined by genotype and hormone levels present inutero.

yes, but I believe that enviroment plays a part in the expression of this as well.

**thegodfather** · 12-11-2007, 03:25 PM

Originally Posted by Carlos_E

The big deal here is they found a gay gene. Most of you claim homosexuality is a learned behavior or choice. Apparently not.

So, if sexual orientation is contained within a gene. Would you be prepared to accept the label that science would be forced to attach to this gene? Whenever a gene deviates from the Wild type gene, and causes a deviation from the normal genes, it is labeled as a mutation or a disease. It is really a catch 22 for both sides. Because, if the gay community says that being gay is not a choice, its genetic, they likewise have to accept that this would be classified as a genetic mutation/disease state. If the anti-gay community accepts this, then they likewise have the wind taken out of their sail for hating gay people because they "Chose" to be gay, and would have to realize that their "God" was responsible for the persons genetic makeup, and therefore it would be illogical that "God hates gays." What are your thoughts?

**Logan13** · 12-11-2007, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by thegodfather

So, if sexual orientation is contained within a gene. Would you be prepared to accept the label that science would be forced to attach to this gene? Whenever a gene deviates from the Wild type gene, and causes a deviation from the normal genes, it is labeled as a mutation or a disease. It is really a catch 22 for both sides. Because, if the gay community says that being gay is not a choice, its genetic, they likewise have to accept that this would be classified as a genetic mutation/disease state. If the anti-gay community accepts this, then they likewise have the wind taken out of their sail for hating gay people because they "Chose" to be gay, and would have to realize that their "God" was responsible for the persons genetic makeup, and therefore it would be illogical that "God hates gays." What are your thoughts?

I think that you have summed it up nicely.

**Coop77** · 12-11-2007, 10:51 PM

Am I missing something here?
This whole article doesn't really have anything to do with sexual orientation. It concerns only flies' ability to distinguish one gender from the other. It doesn't say the flies became attracted to male pheromones - it says they became "gender blind" and couldn't tell male from female and were humping everything.

**SMCengineer** · 12-13-2007, 12:16 AM

Originally Posted by Coop77

Am I missing something here?
This whole article doesn't really have anything to do with sexual orientation. It concerns only flies' ability to distinguish one gender from the other. It doesn't say the flies became attracted to male pheromones - it says they became "gender blind" and couldn't tell male from female and were humping everything.

Exactly what I got out of it.