Twins help in sexual orientation study

Medicine & Health

Researchers at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., are working on theories that nature and not nurture is the determining factor in sexual orientation.

Psychology Professor Michael Bailey says nature is the only plausible explanation for the differences between a set of 9-year-old twins named Adam and Jared, CBS reports.

While Jared prefers military toys, Adams likes dolls and sports pinkish-purple nail polish.

"To me cases like that really scream out, "Hey, it's not out there. It's in here,' There's no indication that this mother is prone to raise very feminine boys because his twin is not that way." says Bailey.

Bailey and his colleagues at Northwestern conducted one experiment in which they videotaped gay and straight people sitting in a chair talking and then reduced them to silent black and white figures.

Volunteers were asked if they could tell gay from straight based on physical movement only. In most cases they could.

The researchers also studied the way gay and straight people talk and they found differences there, too.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

ť Next Article in Medicine & Health: Could a pint of cider help keep the doctor away?

would you recommend this story?