Here it’s One interesting to share
Altering a gene in the brain of female worms changed their sexual orientation, researchers said on Thursday, making female worms attracted to other females. The study reinforces the notion that sexual orientation is hard-wired in the brain,
Researcher, who worked on the study said in a statement.
Researchers in switched on a gene in female worms that makes the body develop male structures, but they only activated the gene in the brain. As a result, the female worms still had female bodies, but they behaved like males. “It suggests sexual behaviour is encoded in our genes” and not caused by extra nerve cells specific to males or females.
Many scientists think a host of factors such as genetics, hormones and environment may play a role in determining sexual orientation in humans, but this has not been proven. The study is interesting because it suggests rather than being caused by extra, sex-specific nerve cells, attraction behaviours are part of the same brain circuit. The finding was part of a study looking at areas in the worms’ brains involved in sexual attraction. Nematodes, or C elegans, are tiny worms about one millimetre long that live in the dirt, chomping bacteria. They have no eyes and rely on smell for navigation and propagation. There are few males, only one in 500, so most of these female nematodes are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female sexual organs. This gives the female worms the ability to fertilise their own eggs and produce offspring in the absence of a male. REUTERS
Researcher, who worked on the study said in a statement.
Researchers in switched on a gene in female worms that makes the body develop male structures, but they only activated the gene in the brain. As a result, the female worms still had female bodies, but they behaved like males. “It suggests sexual behaviour is encoded in our genes” and not caused by extra nerve cells specific to males or females.
Many scientists think a host of factors such as genetics, hormones and environment may play a role in determining sexual orientation in humans, but this has not been proven. The study is interesting because it suggests rather than being caused by extra, sex-specific nerve cells, attraction behaviours are part of the same brain circuit. The finding was part of a study looking at areas in the worms’ brains involved in sexual attraction. Nematodes, or C elegans, are tiny worms about one millimetre long that live in the dirt, chomping bacteria. They have no eyes and rely on smell for navigation and propagation. There are few males, only one in 500, so most of these female nematodes are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female sexual organs. This gives the female worms the ability to fertilise their own eggs and produce offspring in the absence of a male. REUTERS
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