Simon LeVay

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Simon LeVay, 2010

Simon LeVay (born August 28, 1943 in Oxford , England ) is a neuroscientist and author . He is known for his studies of brain structure and sexual orientation . He is co-author of a book on human sexual orientation and has co-authored books on earthquakes , volcanoes and extraterrestrial life .

Life

LeVay studied at Cambridge University in England, where he received his BA in Science in 1966 . He then continued his studies at the University of Göttingen , where he received his doctorate in neuroanatomy in 1971 . After completing his doctorate, he completed research studies at Harvard Medical School from 1972 to 1974 . LeVay held various positions at Harvard from 1974 to 1984 and then worked at the Salk Institute until 1993 . During this time he was also employed as a lecturer (as adjunct associate professor ) for biology at the University of California (UCSD) in San Diego . Much of his early work deals with the visual cortex of animals, especially cats. In 1975 he received a research grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation ( Sloan Research Fellowship ).

LeVay's work and statements about the biology and sexual orientation of people are controversial and controversial. In 1991, LeVay published a paper in which he found structural differences in the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men. He was referring to the third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus (INAH-3). His statements have been reported and discussed internationally in various media.

Works (selection)

  • The Sexual Brain. MIT Press, Cambridge 1993, ISBN 0-262-62093-6 .
  • Queer Science: The Use and Abuse of Research into Homosexuality. MIT Press, Cambridge 1996, ISBN 0-262-62119-3 .
  • with SM Valente: Human Sexuality Sinauer Associates, Sunderland 2006 (2nd edition), ISBN 0-87893-465-0 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Bill Andriette: Sex on the Brain: Talking with Simon LeVay.
  2. ^ Rogers WS, Rogers: The psychology gender and sexuality: An introduction. Open University Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-335-20225-6 .
  3. Simon LeVay: A difference in hypothalamic structure between homosexual and heterosexual men. In: Science. No. 253, 1991, pp. 1034-1037.
  4. Natalie Angier : Zone of Brain Linked to Men's Sexual Orientation. In: New York Times . August 30, 1991.
  5. Interview with Simon LeVay in the NZZ Folio magazine .
  6. Does homosexuality have a biological cause? Die Welt, September 12, 1991

Web links