There is no single 'gay gene,' DNA analysis of nearly half a million people shows

A new study that analyzed the DNA of nearly half a million people has found that while genetic differences play a significant role in sexual preference, there is no single gene responsible.

The findings, described Thursday in the journal Science, looked at sexual behavior and not sexual identity. Still, the results debunk the idea of a so-called singular "gay gene," call into question such sexual orientation frameworks as the Kinsey scale - and hint at the complex factors that influence human sexuality, including society and the environment.

"The findings themselves reinforce this idea that diversity of sexual behavior across humanity is really a natural part of our overall diversity as a species," said Benjamin Neale, a geneticist at the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard and one of the study's senior authors.