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WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — A new study finds that billions of insects are accidentally having gay sex.
According to The Independent, a study published in the journal of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology finds that 85 percent of male insects mate with other male insects because they do not take the time to find out about their mate’s gender.
“Insects and spiders mate quick and dirty,” Dr. Inon Scharf of Tel Aviv University said in the study. “The cost of taking the time to identify the gender of mates or the cost of hesitation appears to be greater than the cost of making some mistakes.”
Scharf teamed up with Dr. Oliver Martin of ETH Zurich University to review past studies of 110 different types of species of male insects.
“It is unclear what role evolution plays in this curious situation,” the authors said in the study, The Independent reports. “Like heterosexual behavior, it takes time and energy and can be dangerous – and it lacks the potential payoff of procreation.
The researchers believe that the reason male insects engage in gay sex is because the males insects carry pheromones after mating with females, drawing attraction from other males.
“Homosexual behavior may be genomically linked to being more active, a better forager, or a better competitor,” Scharf said. “So even though misidentifying mates isn’t a desirable trait, it’s part of a package of traits that leaves the insect better adapted overall.”
Source. (CBS Local, Washington)
According to The Independent, a study published in the journal of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology finds that 85 percent of male insects mate with other male insects because they do not take the time to find out about their mate’s gender.
“Insects and spiders mate quick and dirty,” Dr. Inon Scharf of Tel Aviv University said in the study. “The cost of taking the time to identify the gender of mates or the cost of hesitation appears to be greater than the cost of making some mistakes.”
Scharf teamed up with Dr. Oliver Martin of ETH Zurich University to review past studies of 110 different types of species of male insects.
“It is unclear what role evolution plays in this curious situation,” the authors said in the study, The Independent reports. “Like heterosexual behavior, it takes time and energy and can be dangerous – and it lacks the potential payoff of procreation.
The researchers believe that the reason male insects engage in gay sex is because the males insects carry pheromones after mating with females, drawing attraction from other males.
“Homosexual behavior may be genomically linked to being more active, a better forager, or a better competitor,” Scharf said. “So even though misidentifying mates isn’t a desirable trait, it’s part of a package of traits that leaves the insect better adapted overall.”
Source. (CBS Local, Washington)
