Imagine what their children would be like...
Call it a march forward in the study of human genetics or a further erosion of personal responsibility, but scientists from New York State University claim to have found a variant of a gene that causes people to be thrill seekers. Called DRD4, the gene has been found in people with adventurous personalities. The new gene is a variation of DRD4, and has been found in people with a history of cheating and promiscuity. The study found that these people were almost twice as likely to be unfaithful and when they were, they cheated with twice as many people.
Researcher Justin Garcia told Science Daily "What we found was that individuals with a certain variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity." While the finding is interesting, it isn't a smoking gun for a cause for infidelity. The researchers admit that they didn't look into all possible causes that may have made individuals cheat. They went on to say that it was too early to call it "the cheating gene."
To my way of thinking, a person's biology may incline them to act a certain way but doesn't guarantee that they will. As has been noted in various posts in this blog, free will, education and religion all shape a person's actions. Biology has shown this to be true. A person with a gene for manic depression isn't guaranteed to be manic depressive. It takes the combination of genetics and environment to make a person with the illness.
Source:
http://www.torontosun.com/life/healthandfitness/2010/12/02/16404841.html
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