A new study investigating the link between DNA and sexual orientation has revealed some intriguing results about the existence of a so-called "gay gene."

Researchers in Europe surveyed genetic data from more than 490,000 people in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden to find out once and for all if there's any correlation between a specific gene and sexual orientation, reports The Washington Post.

Among those nearly 500,000 surveyed, more than 26,000 reported having a same-sex sexual encounter, marking the largest sample size of queer participants in a genome study of its kind. In case you were curious, that data pool came from participants who consented to a study conducted by 23andMe, a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, Calif.

The team was able to identify a few genetic differences that were more likely to occur among queer participants, including a variant in a DNA sequence that affects a person's sense of smell, although there wasn't a strong enough link to call it anything more than a correlation. Ultimately, the team determined that these variations may influence queer sexual behavior; however, external factors like environmental influences must be considered to paint a more holistic picture of an individual's sexuality.

Eric Vilain, director of the Center for Genetic Medicine Research at Children’s National Health System, told The Post that the study's findings should put an end to the overly simplistic notion that homosexuality is strictly genetic.

"It just shows us that same-sex sexual behavior is much more complex than this idea of having just one gene influencing it all," Vilain said. "It shows that there are genetic factors, which we had suspected long ago… but it also shows those genetic factors do not tell the whole story."

The study's authors concurred, citing the very problematic (and all too recent) history of medical professionals attempting to neatly pathologize queerness in the report's Discussion section:

Our findings provide insights into the biological underpinnings of same-sex sexual behavior but also underscore the importance of resisting simplistic conclusions—because the behavioral phenotypes are complex, because our genetic insights are rudimentary, and because there is a long history of misusing genetic results for social purposes.

Their findings mirror the work of other geneticists, who've determined time and time again that a specific gay gene would be incredibly difficult to isolate—that is, if it exists at all.