New York Times Blog, discussion of recent research showing that the sexual preference in fruit flies can to some extent be controlled with drugs.
A reader named catuskoti posted, in part:
Silly science and silly research. Why is sexual diversity believed to be a problem needing scientific investigation?
Short answer: because scientists investigate everything. Don't be confused by the use of the word problem -- A "problem" in science is really nothing more than a question. Why should sexual diversity be off-limits to the inquiries of people who want to understand what happens in our world?
Longer answer: Here are two sentences from the scientific article's abstract (follow the link above).
Mate choice is an evolutionarily critical decision that requires the detection of multiple sex-specific signals followed by central integration of these signals to direct appropriate behavior. The mechanisms controlling mate choice remain poorly understood.
Makes sense to me. Whether you think "mechanisms controlling mate choice" is a good way to describe human sexuality is another question. Fortunately, it's irrelevant here, as the article under discussion does not seem to mention any animals higher than rats (caveat: I only skimmed it). We will have to wait for analogous results in mammals, probably even in primates, before it can really be said to have anything to do with such a complex aspect of human society.
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