The most prolific argument used to identify homosexuals as deviants is the issue of whether or not we choose our sexuality.  I've often argued that the idea of choice is absurd.  Why would I choose to be an outcast?  Why would I choose to be ridiculed and despised?  Why would I not choose to be normal so I could enjoy the same rights and privileges as others?  It's laughable to think for an instant that anyone would choose to be gay only to be rejected by society and religion, to distance themselves from family and friends, to be forced to hide their true identify and feelings, to be hated and rejected, to be called evil and possessed, and to lose claim to benefits only bestowed upon government sanctioned relationships.  And still the argument goes on.

An equally important yet rarely examined question is the reciprocal approach — did every heterosexual person on the planet choose their sexuality?  If being gay is a choice, then being straight must also be a choice.  I've asked before, but I've rarely received an answer to this question.  Did heterosexual people wake up one morning and say to themselves, "What do I want to be?  Straight?  Gay?  Bi?  Transgender?  Other?  I think I'll be straight.  Yes, that seems reasonable and fun."

No, I think we all can agree that there was no such decision.  In fact, I think we can all agree that every heterosexual will say that they are the way they were born and that they didn't decide for or against anything (if they're being honest, that is).

Moving toward confirmation of what I have always believed — that our sexuality is more genetic predisposition and direction than it is choice and selection — researchers at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine have identified genome variations which organize male and female brains differently.  Their findings strongly suggest that these genes direct and define sexual identity before birth.

The study found 54 different genes which play a part in defining sexual identity.  These findings refute 30 years of theory which assumed that hormones, primarily estrogen and testosterone, were solely responsible for the developmental differences between male and female brains.  As recent evidence indicates that hormones could not explain all of the sexual differences, the study's findings are timely.

The study found that 18 of the identified genes were produced in higher quantities in male brains while 36 of the genes were produced in higher quantities in female brains.  The testing was performed in the embryonic stage long before any sex organs developed and prior to any hormonal influence.

Although the study was conducted with mice and further research is needed to determine how these various genes influence sexual identity, it is safe to assume that similar genetic programming takes place with humans.  Mice are generally the first place to look for and test such theories since they share a remarkable genetic similarity to humans, sharing at least 80% of our genes with only 300 individual genes separating the two species.  With more than 30,000 genes each, the similarity is noteworthy and relevant.

Regardless of the research, however, I don't need a scientist to tell me that my genes had a significant influence on my sexuality.

I distinctly remember as a very young child that I was more fascinated with the male form than the female form.  No, I wasn't sexually active before ten, but I was sexually aware.  It was well before I reached my teen years when I realized that I was not exactly the same as other people.  As my male friends around me began to "notice" girls and to put the childhood drama of "cooties" behind them, I found myself looking toward my own sex to fulfill those same fascinations.

I discarded my failure to join my male friends in this newfound discovery and began the long and painful road of deception and pretend.  I knew well that I didn't share those interests and feelings, but it was quite clear that boys should share those feelings.  I began to hide who I was and attempt to persuade myself that I could be something that I was not.

As you can guess, it didn't turn out that way.  I spent too many years, from about the age of eight through 21, losing the battle with myself to be normal — to be like everyone else.

So, this study is a step in the direction of confirmation — confirmation that I am normal; confirmation that I am who I am because that's the way I was wired, not because I woke up one day and decided that being an outcast seemed like so much more fun; confirmation that the religious zealots are wrong; confirmation that the right wing is full of stodgy old men who are too fond of the "good ol' boys network" to accept anyone who doesn't fit their cookie-cutter definition of society; confirmation that I am not possessed by some evil spirit and can be prayed into heterosexuality; confirmation that those who believe otherwise and aren't willing to accept the truth are hateful bigots and should be ignored.

This is a small step, but it's a small step in the right direction.  I hope the research continues.  I know there are plenty of people out there who will not accept anything short of clear scientific proof.  I also know there are people who won't even accept that, but that will ultimately be their problem.

Launched in June of 2001, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) orbits just outside of Earth's orbit around the Sun (in a position called the L2 Sun-Earth Lagrange point, about 1.5 million kilometers [approximately 1 million miles] away from Earth opposite the Sun).  This probe is being used to unlock secrets of the universe which we had never imagined.

I've always been a science and mathematics buff — especially when it came to astrophysics and cosmology.  I know, that makes me a serious nerd, but I accept that since my interest in these areas seems to be ingrained in my very genetic code and can't be given up or ignored.

So imagine my wonder and awe when I stumbled across the results that have been coming in from a little known satellite NASA launched back in 2001.

To give you an idea of what WMAP has come up with, consider the following factoids.

WMAP has accurately placed the age of the universe at 13.7 billion years old.  It's interesting to note that this is not a guess or estimate.  The margin for error on the data WMAP has provided is around 1 percent.

WMAP has also determined that the first stars formed much earlier than we had originally theorized.  According to the data collected, stars began to form about 200 million years after the big bang.

WMAP has confirmed that the universe is geometrically flat.  That's not to say it's only two-dimensional, but it does mean that Euclidian geometry applies over the largest distances in the universe.  This negates the theory that space-time is in some way curved (either positively or negatively).

Most interesting of all of the findings from WMAP, the data shows that the composition of the universe is significantly different from what we had imagined.

Matter (anything comprised of atoms, like solids, liquids and gasses) only make up 4% of the universe.  That means we (life in general) make up a mere fraction of the universe as a whole — not even enough to blink at in passing.

Cold dark matter makes up approximately 23% of the universe.  The findings show that the dark matter, originally thought to be the remnants of burnt-out stars, is more likely not related to normal (baryonic) matter at all but is probably made up of things like neutralinos or axions or other exotic astrophysical or quantum particles which we have yet to identify.  It's even possible that this material is formed by weakly interactive massive particles, the cosmological equivalent of exhaust which forms as a result of nuclear reactions.

The final 73% of the universe is made up of something even more exotic called dark energy.  The data show that this energy appears to be close to the "cosmological constant" theorized by Albert Einstein.  The large amount of this energy in the universe exerts a constant outward pressure on the cosmos resulting in steady expansion.  In fact, if more data can be collected, it might be shown that the big bang wasn't a singular event billions of years ago but is instead a steady explosion of the universe as it presses outward, forced to expand eternally by the ever-present pressure of the dark energy.

All of this data combined with other observable cosmological information solidifies the argument that the universe is expanding and that the expansion began a fraction of a second after the big bang.  This is called the Inflation Theory — that the universe will expand forever.  Given that dark energy makes up about three-quarters of the universe, WMAP data has even provided an estimate on the universe's expansion rate.  This number, called the Hubble constant, is 71 kilometers per second per mega-parsec with a margin of error around 5%.

Now I'm sure that all of this seems like gibberish to many, but it's entirely fascinating and extremely exciting to finally have some solid answers to some very old questions.  If nothing else, it certainly helps concrete the message that humans really are irrelevant in the scheme of things since we, together with every star, planet, animal, plant, nebula, liquid, gas, solid and other atom-based matter make up only 4% of what is in all practicality an infinitely large universe.

Feeling lonely?

I finally got around to buying a digital camera.  I had been looking at several models and manufacturers over the last few months.  Ultimately I got the Canon PowerShot S50, a 5.0 megapixel camera with plenty of features.  I had considered the limited edition black PowerShot G3, but that turned out to be far too much camera for me.  I'm not a professional photographer and likely never will be.  A disposable 35mm wasn't going to cut it though, so the S50 seemed like the perfect blending of what I needed now and what I might need in the future if I ever get the hang of it.  Once I get it setup and learn how to snap a few pictures, expect some gallery updates to follow.  I know I need to get some recent shots of The Kids.  I did say I would post pictures of my car.  Eventually I'll post some updated body shots of my workout progress.  Oh, and the darn thing can actually make short digital movies as well…  That could be interesting.  I'll keep you posted on my progress with the little gadget and will post new pics as soon as I can.

I stumbled across this article the other day and found it to be extremely insightful.  It did cause me to pause and wonder why people are the way they are despite our best intentions.  It's about a man who did the right thing and who was promptly attacked for it by the person he was trying to help.  I strongly recommend that you read it as I believe you'll find it to be as disappointing and revealing as I did (although we expect the worst from people, so I'm not sure why I was surprised by any of it).

A project called the Census of Marine Life is accomplishing so much that they are now discovering three new fish species per week.  The project is adding 150 to 200 species of fish and 1,700 species of animals and plants each year to their growing database of ocean-dwelling organisms.  You can read more about this fascinating long-term project in this MSNBC.com article.