Toward Resolving the Darwinian Paradox of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior

Monday, March 18, 2024 (2 PM – 3:30 PM)

Jianzhi (George) Zhang

University of Michigan

Because human same-sex sexual behavior (SSB) is heritable and leads to fewer offspring, the maintenance of SSB-associated alleles in populations requires an explanation. While several evolutionary genetic hypotheses have been proposed, most lack strong empirical evidence. I will discuss recent UK Biobank-based genomic studies that shed light on this long-standing “Darwinian paradox.”