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rfmcdonaldIn light of my previous posts the past couple of days about evolution and homosexuality, I thought that this news report, written by CanWest's David Wylie, might be of interest.
Vasev suggests that the effects may be more visible in Samoa instead of in the United States or England because "[i]n Samoa, communities are closer geographically and families are more tightly-knit, while North American families are more dispersed, he said. Homosexuality is expressed differently in Western culture -- where it's also less accepted, he said." The Samoan pattern of life, I'd add, is more typical in the history of humanity and perhaps even in the early 21st century than the Anglo-American model of individualism.
It's a question which has troubled science since Darwin: if homosexuality is, at least in part, inherited, how are those genes being passed down to new generations?
Canadian researchers say they have found the first evidence to back up the theory that gay men have the evolutionary advantage of being "super uncles", a way of enhancing the survival prospects of close relatives and -- indirectly, at least -- making it more likely their genes are passed on.
Paul Vasey, associate professor in the University of Lethbridge's department of psychology, said his research found evidence that gay men may be more willing to support their nieces and nephews financially and emotionally.
The idea is that homosexuals are helping their close relatives reproduce more successfully and at a higher rate by being helpful: babysitting more, tutoring their nieces and nephews in art and music, and helping out financially with things like medical care and education.
The question of whether homosexuality clashes with evolution has puzzled scientists for decades. The trait appears to be inheritable -- but because homosexual men are much less likely to produce offspring than heterosexual men, researchers have struggled to explain why the genes for the trait weren't extinguished long ago.
[. . .]
Mr. Vasey and University of Lethbridge evolutionary psychologist Doug VanderLaan spent time on the Pacific island of Samoa surveying women, straight men and the fa'afafine -- men who prefer other men as sexual partners and are accepted within the culture as a distinct third gender category. "Some are so feminine that they pass as women to the naive observer," he said.
Mr. Vasey found that the fa'afafine said they were significantly more willing to help kin, yet much less interested in helping children who aren't family -- providing the first evidence to support the "kin selection hypothesis."
"We argue that this would allow the fa'afafine to distribute altruism toward their nieces and nephews in a more efficient and adaptive manner compared to men and women," he said.
Vasev suggests that the effects may be more visible in Samoa instead of in the United States or England because "[i]n Samoa, communities are closer geographically and families are more tightly-knit, while North American families are more dispersed, he said. Homosexuality is expressed differently in Western culture -- where it's also less accepted, he said." The Samoan pattern of life, I'd add, is more typical in the history of humanity and perhaps even in the early 21st century than the Anglo-American model of individualism.
