MARC Record from harvard_bibliographic_metadata

LEADER: 03191cam a2200361 a 4500
001 012572738-0
005 20100921224517.0
008 091207s2011 enka b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2009049210
020 $a9780199737673 (cloth : alk. paper)
020 $a0199737673 (cloth : alk. paper)
035 0 $aocn476361323
035 $a(PromptCat)40018274155
040 $aDLC$cDLC$dYDXCP$dC#P$dCDX$dBWX
050 00 $aBF692$b.L476 2011
060 00 $a2013 I-506
082 00 $a155.3$222
100 1 $aLeVay, Simon.
245 10 $aGay, straight, and the reason why :$bthe science of sexual orientation /$cSimon LeVay.
260 $aOxford ;$aNew York :$bOxford University Press,$c2011.
300 $axvii, 412 p. :$bill. ;$c22 cm.
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references and indexes.
505 0 $aWhat is sexual orientation? -- Why we need biology -- The outline of a theory -- Childhood -- Characteristics of gay and straight adults -- The role of sex hormones -- The role of genes -- The brain -- The body -- The older-brother effect.
520 $aWhat causes a child to grow up gay or straight? In this book, the author, a neuroscientist summarizes a wealth of scientific evidence that points to one inescapable conclusion: Sexual orientation results primarily from an interaction between genes, sex hormones, and the cells of the developing body and brain. He helped create this field in 1991 with a much-publicized study in Science magazine, where he reported on a difference in the brain structure between gay and straight men. Since then, an entire scientific discipline has sprung up around the quest for a biological explanation of sexual orientation. In this book, he provides a clear explanation of where the science stands today, taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of laboratories that specialize in genetics, endocrinology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, evolutionary psychology, and family demographics. He describes, for instance, how researchers have manipulated the sex hormone levels of animals during development, causing them to mate preferentially with animals of their own gender. He also reports on the prevalence of homosexual behavior among wild animals, ranging from Graylag geese to the Bonobo chimpanzee. Although many details remain unresolved, the general conclusion is quite clear: A person's sexual orientation arises in large part from biological processes that are already underway before birth. He also makes it clear that these lines of research have a lot of potential because, far from seeking to discover "what went wrong" in the lives of gay people, attempting to develop "cures" for homosexuality, or returning to traditional explanations that center on parent-child relationships, various forms of "training," or early sexual experiences, our modern scientists are increasingly seeing sexual variety as something to be valued, celebrated, and welcomed into society.
650 0 $aSexual orientation.
650 0 $aSex (Psychology)
650 0 $aSex (Biology)
650 12 $aSexuality$xphysiology.
650 22 $aSexuality$xpsychology.
899 $a415_565857
899 $a415_565387
988 $a20100921
906 $0DLC