• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Travel
  • Sports
  • Law/Justice
  • Celebrities
  • Republicans
  • Madonna
  • Books
  • Men
  • Trans Rights
  • Royals
  • Monkeypox
  • Modern Family’s Julie Bowen Crushing On Harry Styles; Reveals She Was Once In Love With A Gay Woman, “but she didn’t love me back”
  • Mean Girls musical movie will have a ‘fresher palette’
  • Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents

Study of Twins Claims Saliva Test Can Predict Sexual Orientation 67 Percent of the Time

Andy Towle October 8, 2015 Leave a Comment

straight gay Twins

Tuck Ngun, a researcher from UCLA, claims he has discovered that a saliva can predict sexual orientation with a high rate of success.  He is presenting his findings today at the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ngun studied 47 sets of male twins. 37 of the twin pairs were both gay, and 10 pairs differed in identified sexual orientation.

New Scientist reports:

They ended up with a giant spreadsheet showing the levels of methylation across the genome of each twin, says Ngun. Next, Ngun and his colleagues looked at the genomes of homosexual and heterosexual volunteers. They used an algorithm to search out gene regions in which methylation patterns differed significantly between the two groups.

They found five sites– three in regions of “junk DNA”, the role of which is unclear, two in genes whose roles are relatively well established. One of these genes is involved with the production of MHC II molecules. These are important for a healthy immune system, but are also thought to affect sexual attraction.

The other gene region implicated is responsible for making a protein that affects neuron function.

New Scientist adds:

The team then went a step further. Using the test results from 20 of the pairs, they developed a model to predict if a person is straight or gay based on the methylation patterns of their genes. When they tested their model on the remaining pairs of male twins, they found it correctly predicted sexual orientation 67 per cent of the time.

Scientists, as they should be, are approaching the report with skepticism:

Commenting on the research, Professor Tim Spector, from King’s College London, a leading expert on twin studies and genetics, said: “It has always been a mystery why identical twins who share all their genes can vary in homosexuality.

“Epigenetic differences are one obvious reason and this study provides evidence for this. However the small study needs replicating before any talk of prediction is realistic.”

Darren Griffin, professor of genetics at the University of Kent, said: “To claim a 70% predictive value of something as complex as homosexuality is bold indeed. I wait with bated breath for a full peer-reviewed article.

“While there is strong evidence in general for a biological basis for homosexuality my personal impression has always been one of a multiple contributory factors, including life experiences.”

Gil McVean, professor of statistical genetics at Oxford University, said: “Without validation of the result in an independent data set it is not really possible to know whether there is any substance in this claim.

Topics: Actor, Society More Posts About: gay gene, Genetics, Twins

Related Posts
  • An Origin Story for the Queer Community
  • Is Being Gay in Your DNA? Scientists Find Clues to ‘Gay Gene’ But Keep Looking…
  • Zayn Malik Gay Sex Tape, Norovirus, Keegan Hirst, Making a Murderer, Calum McSwiggan, Lady Gaga: NEWS
  • Mean Girls musical movie will have a ‘fresher palette’

    Mean Girls musical movie will have a ‘fresher palette’

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jeff Richmond and Tina Fey want the ‘Mean Girls’ musical movie to have a “fresher palette”. The pair are adapting their musical for the big screen and composer Jeff revealed his …Read More »
  • Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents

    Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents

    Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents. The 61-year-old actress had been friends with Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell – who are the parents of pop star Billie, …Read More »
  • Efforts since George Floyd killing fail to stem US police violence

    Efforts since George Floyd killing fail to stem US police violence

    Published by AFP The US city of Memphis, Tennessee, on January 27, 2023, released footage of the fatal police beating of a 29-year-old Black man, Tyre Nichols Washington (AFP) – The shocking death of Tyre Nichols …Read More »
  • Pope Francis clarifies earlier comments: Homosexuality ‘not a crime’

    Pope Francis clarifies earlier comments: Homosexuality ‘not a crime’

    Published by DPA Pope Francis speaks during the general audience at the Pope Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Michael Kappeler/dpa Pope Francis has clarified his earlier comments on homosexuality following confusion in recent days, saying: …Read More »
Previous Post: « Mother Parades Homophobic Son Around Walmart with Shaved Head, Tutu
Next Post: French Train Hero Spencer Stone Critically Stabbed Leaving Gay Nightclub in Sacramento »

Primary Sidebar

Adjacent News

  • Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

    Secrets about Catholic priest’s 1966 murder unearthed by reporters in Buffalo

  • Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

    Booker says he’ll keep trying to pass weed legislation even with House Republicans in charge

  • Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

    Madison Square Garden’s facial recognition blacklisting sparks outcry

Good Trash: Going to Read It Somewhere, Y'know

  • ‘Gone Their Separate Ways’: Ryan Reynolds & Jake Gyllenhaal’s Pals Left Scratching Their Heads Over Bizarre Bromance Fallout 

    ‘Gone Their Separate Ways’: Ryan Reynolds & Jake Gyllenhaal’s Pals Left Scratching Their Heads Over Bizarre Bromance Fallout 

  • Steamy! Miranda Lambert Shows Off Shirtless Husband Brendan McLoughlin To Celebrate Their Anniversary

    Steamy! Miranda Lambert Shows Off Shirtless Husband Brendan McLoughlin To Celebrate Their Anniversary

  • ‘Sister Wives’ Alum Leon Brown Debuts Gender-Affirming Top Surgery Seven Months After Announcing New Pronouns

    ‘Sister Wives’ Alum Leon Brown Debuts Gender-Affirming Top Surgery Seven Months After Announcing New Pronouns

RSS Partner Links

  • Sunday Comics
  • 'The View' for the Week of January 30 - 4 Guest Stars Revealed
  • Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis Publicly Hug After Getting Messy During Their Custody Fight
  • Novak Djokovic defeats Stefan Tsitsipas to win 10th Australian Open and 22nd grand slam overall
  • The Telegraph published a photo to ‘exonerate’ Prince Andrew from rape, trafficking
  • Prince William & Kate are getting cooked for their foodbank poverty tourism
  • Jim Jordan Says New Laws Can't 'Stop That Evil' After Tyre Nichols' Death

Most Recent

  • Modern Family’s Julie Bowen Crushing On Harry Styles; Reveals She Was Once In Love With A Gay Woman, “but she didn’t love me back”

    Modern Family’s Julie Bowen Crushing On Harry Styles; Reveals She Was Once In Love With A Gay Woman, “but she didn’t love me back”

  • Mean Girls musical movie will have a ‘fresher palette’

    Mean Girls musical movie will have a ‘fresher palette’

  • Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents

    Jennifer Coolidge went to the wedding of Billie Eilish’s parents

  • Efforts since George Floyd killing fail to stem US police violence

    Efforts since George Floyd killing fail to stem US police violence

  • Pope Francis clarifies earlier comments: Homosexuality ‘not a crime’

    Pope Francis clarifies earlier comments: Homosexuality ‘not a crime’

  • Rick Astley: I wasn’t cut out to be a pop star

    Rick Astley: I wasn’t cut out to be a pop star

  • Universal Pictures Loses Over $10 Million By Scrapping Madonna’s Biopic: Source

    Universal Pictures Loses Over $10 Million By Scrapping Madonna’s Biopic: Source

  • Spice Girls to reunite for King Charles’ coronation

    Spice Girls to reunite for King Charles’ coronation

Most Commented

Social

Twitter @tlrd | Facebook | Instagram @tlrd

Footer

Copyright © 2023 · Log in

×