New Study Suggests Link Between Older Brother And Being Gay

A new study may have found a biological link between having an older brother and being gay…
 
A new study may have found a link between having an older brother and being gay. Scientists have documented this pattern in sexual science in previous research, and may have found one biological answer linking the two.
 
This past Monday, researchers from Canada’s Brock University, the University of Toronto and Harvard Medical school published their findings in the scientific journal, PNAS. The document suggests:
 
“Some mothers develop antibodies against a Y-linked protein important in male brain development, and that this effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation, altering brain structures underlying sexual orientation in their later-born sons.”
 
While the discussion is certainly a controversial subject, one of the lead study authors, Brock University’s Anthony Bogaert, says the findings are not suggesting that homosexuality is an illness or a birth defect. Bogaert affirms that the study suggests that sexual attraction is merely determined at birth.
 
The woman’s body may build up antibodies against the protein linked to the Y-chromosome, called NLGN4Y, causing them to pass through the placental barrier and enter the brain of the next male fetus. Earlier research also suggests that having more older brothers may also increase the chances of homosexuality by one third.
 
Researchers tested the hypothesis by conducting assessing a group of 142 women and 12 men between the ages of 18 and 80, finding a higher concentration of antibodies in women. The highest concentration, however, was found in women with gay younger sons, who also had older brothers.
 
The research still does not offer a potential biological explanation for bisexuality and asexuality, nor gay, eldest sons and homosexuality between women.
 
Researchers are waiting to determine if the findings can be replicated. Bogaert and his co-authors have been conducting research on the topic for over 20 years.