Techno-Cogitations

Where science and technology meet society.

by Jillian Theil

Gene of the Week: Attack on the "Warrior Gene"

Exposing the "blame-it-on-our-genes-craze."

Published on May 13, 2011 by Jillian Theil in Techno-Cogitations

Science writer John Horgan has taken on the warrior gene in a recent Scientific American blog post titled "Code rage: The "warrior gene" makes me mad! (Whether I have it or not)." Horgan points to recent coverage of the MAOA-L allele, decrying over-hyped (mis)representations of behavior and genes (previously examined here) while taking another look at some of the so-called "warrior gene" claims. All the while, Horgan thoroughly builds his argument by tracing the evolution of this idea, both in the academic journals and in popular culture.

Interestingly, Horgan also looks to unpack the "blame-it-on-your-genes-craze," noting (and again defending in a later post) two factors:

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First, the quest for correlations (in behavioral genetics) between thousands of genes and thousands of traits and disorders is prone to false positives, especially when traits are as squishy as "aggression" and "childhood trauma" (the variable that helps some researchers link MAOA-L to violent behavior). Second, the media - including respected scientific journals like Science and PNAS as well as shows like Dr. Phil - are prone to hyping "discoveries" that will attract attention.

Horgan also notes that such claims are not without consequences, pointing out that misunderstandings of the "warrior gene" have been disturbingly utilized to promote inequality and racism.