In a large population of rhesus macaques, same-sex sexual behavior was not only common but was associated with stronger social ties and having more offspring, according to a long-term study.
. But it was unclear whether this behavior was widespread, if it was influenced by genetics and to what degree it might affect the reproductive success of the population as a whole.
The researchers defined same-sex behavior as the act of mounting because it was the most frequent — and most identifiable — form of sexual contact. Although it occurs in both male and female macaques, it is much more frequent in males.Over three years, the study team observed 236 males who belonged to two distinct social groups within the colony. During that time, they documented 1,739 instances of mounting — 722 involving male-female pairs and 1,017 involving same-sex pairs.
The younger a macaque, the more likely he was to engage in same-sex encounters, the study authors found. That could be a sign that in some cases, the couplings “could partially function as ‘practice’ for future reproductive activity,” they wrote.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists figure out how attraction worksResearchers have made a scientific breakthrough that allows them to explain human attraction and it’s all based on comparable interests.
Read more »
Ask A Scientist: Scientists & Arms Control From Oppenheimer To Today - CleanTechnicaOppenheimer and directed by Christopher Nolan, director of Dunkirk, Interstellar and The Dark Knight trilogy, the film was inspired by
Read more »
Russian scientists warn of powerful solar flare activity on MondayPowerful solar flare activity is forecast for Monday which may interfere with short-wave communications, Russian scientists said after three flares were observed on the sun on Sunday.
Read more »
Scientists Vibrated a Box of Particles And They Formed a Strange New MaterialFootage of thousands of tiny metal spheres set jiggling in a shallow tray has revealed an arrangement of particles once considered impossible.
Read more »
Scientists simulate environment of enigmatic black holes in a hi-tech labThe black hole conditions are being stimulated with the help of a tiny vortex produced inside a bell jar of superfluid helium.
Read more »
How scientists decide if they've actually found signals of alien lifeYou'll need to rule out human noise or other Earth-bound sources, which is to say eliminating the ‘confounders.' A control sample helps, too.
Read more »