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by contras1970 2648 days ago
> One would think that a sexual organism never having heterosexual sex would be a huge evolutionary fitness disadvantage

Genes do not "care" for individual organisms. If they did we would be immortal. Jared Diamond argued that the presence of homosexual uncles/aunts is the same kind of an advantage as the presence of no-longer-breeding grandparents.

> such a trait would be extremely uncommon.

Homosexuality is pretty rare, isn't it?

2 comments

The key difference between a gay aunt or uncle and a no longer reproducing grandparent is that the grandparent has already reproduced.

Also, if homosexuality is a strategy for childcare, why do homosexual relatives contribute so little to their nieces and nephews? And if it is a successful strategy, why does it occur at such a low prevalence?

Well I heard that theory but seems there are no homosexual aunts and uncles in any species except the two mentioned.

The theories about alpha and beta wolves turned out to be wrong btw. The wolves that were observed in captivity were simply closely related families.

https://amp.businessinsider.com/no-such-thing-alpha-male-201...