ducasse wrote:
The benefit is that if there are a few people in the clan not trying to have as many kids as possible, then there will be less mouths to feed & a few extra adults to provide food, & thus the kids there are will be more likely to grow to an age where they can pass on their genes, including their uncle's gay gene which in them are inactive but might be active in any one of their kids.
Yes, I remember reading about this in my bio textbook in school- they were studying the family dynamics in some type of wild dog. There was a pattern of one or two siblings having children, and the other siblings remaining childless and helping their brothers and sisters care for their young. Having the aunts and uncles around to help raise and protect the children increased the chance of survival of the children, and thus the family genes. So having some family members be genetically wired towards not reproducing actually can have an evolutionary benefit.
And actually, they have demonstrated a common pattern where gay members of families are often uncles/nephews or cousins of each other. This pattern is certainly evident in my family. My brother is gay, and so is his cousin and a great-uncle. I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of my kids were gay.
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Not all those who wander are lost... but I generally am.
25 Nov 2008, 5:54 pm
