The essence of male beauty is down to the way males use their genes rather than what genes they have, according to a new study into the sexual attractiveness of turkeys.
Geneticists have long puzzled over why individuals of the same sex show a greater or lesser degree of sexual attractiveness. In other words - why are some people better looking than others when they're genetically similar?
In a new study, published today in the journal PLoS Genetics, scientists turned to male wild turkeys to solve the problem. They found that among turkeys that are brothers (and therefore share the majority of their genes), 'dominant' males show higher expression of genes predominantly found in males, and a lower expression of genes predominantly found in females, than their subordinate brothers.
Therefore, dominant males were both masculinised and defeminised in terms of their gene expression. A male's attractiveness is a function of how they express their genes, rather than the genes themselves.
Professor Judith Mank, UCL Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, senior author of the paper said: "Sexual attractiveness varies markedly between individuals of the same sex. These differences can have a significant impact on how successful an individual is with the opposite sex.
"Here, we have shown that male beauty is a result of how you use your genes, rather than the difference in the genes themselves.
"Even though humans don't have clear dominant and subordinate types, they do exhibit a range of sexual dimorphisms – some individuals are more attractive to the opposite sex than others."
Male wild turkeys come in two kinds; dominant males have exaggerated sexually attractive traits while subordinate males are less ornate.
Whether a male is dominant or subordinate is determined the winter before they reach sexual maturity, when brothers come together and battle for dominance. The 'winner' adopts the dominant form, while the other brothers become subordinate – assisting their brother in mating, but not siring offspring themselves.
Scientists are still unsure of the process by which some male turkeys become dominant or submissive, but suspect that the concentration of male hormones, or androgens, may play a role in gene expression.
Professor Mank added: "We expect to find a similar effect in females, in that more attractive females may show a higher expression of genes predominantly found in females and lower expression of male genes."
Notes for editors
1. For more information or to speak to Professor Judith Mank, please contact Clare Ryan in the UCL Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 3108 3846, mobile: +44 (0)7747 565 056, out of hours +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: clare.ryan@ucl.ac.uk.
2. 'Masculinization of gene expression is associated with exaggeration of male sexual dimorphism' is published online today in PLoS Genetics.
3. Journalists can obtain copies of the paper by contacting the UCL Media Relations Office.
About UCL (University College London)
Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.
We are among the world's top universities, as reflected by our performance in a range of international rankings and tables. According to the Thomson Scientific Citation Index, UCL is the second most highly cited European university and the 15th most highly cited in the world.
UCL has nearly 27,000 students from 150 countries and more than 9,000 employees, of whom one third are from outside the UK. The university is based in Bloomsbury in the heart of London, but also has two international campuses – UCL Australia and UCL Qatar. Our annual income is more than £800 million.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow us on Twitter @uclnews | Watch our YouTube channel YouTube.com/UCLTV
Journal
PLoS Genetics