Gene Found to Explain Repeated Mistakes 299
palegray.net writes "A December 6th article in Nature explores the relationship between a specific gene and those of us prone to repeatedly making the same mistakes. From the article: "Drug addicts, alcoholics and compulsive gamblers are known to be more likely than other people to have this genetic mutation ..." The gene results in the development of fewer D2 receptors in the brain, a condition which the study has shown leads to a lessened ability to learn from experience." So no complaining about dupes and typos: it's genetic!
Genetic databases of individuals... (Score:1, Interesting)
Now some of them may very well earn them, but others don't. How long until even having the gene becomes a liability, even if it doesn't seem to affect your actions.
Re:Now, for the most useful one (Score:4, Interesting)
Correlation != Causation (Score:3, Interesting)
Interesting... (Score:5, Interesting)
Oddly enough, it only became really pronounced AFTER she stopped drinking - gene activation?
Do Petty Criminals Also Lack D2 Receptors? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Genetic databases of individuals... (Score:4, Interesting)
DNA Test (Score:2, Interesting)
oh, wait...
Isn't this backwards? (Score:5, Interesting)
Isn't addiction the result of the brain learning too well that getting a certain stimulus triggers the pleasure/reward sensation? It's only a "mistake" when the stimulus turns out to be a false positive. The same "addicted" reaction to a drug that short-circuits the reward sensation might cause a person to acquire and maintain very good habits for needed nutrients or acquiring resources. It's a tradeoff between locking in behaviors that consistently produce rewards and the risk that you are locking in slowly self-destructive behaviors that only seemed to be a reward. A person who can break addictions easily may also tend to randomly stop doing useful, rewarding things.
Re:Now, for the most useful one (Score:5, Interesting)
For example, here in Sweden the members of the government, the ministers, have no right to give orders to authorities. Ministers decide about policy, and are expressly forbidden from meddling in the day-to-day matters of the authorities. That's to limit the influence of the power-hungry. The only exception is when an authority asks for a policy decision, and also some exceptional authorities such as the one that manages embassies and foreign affairs.
This arrangement complicated matters a lot when a Swede was released from Guantanamo. The US demanded guarantees from the Swedish government that he would be supervised. Since the government is expressly forbidden from giving any such orders they couldn't give any such guarantees.
It would make more sense for you Americans to simply expect your politicians to be selfish like everybody, and not despise them for that, and instead despise your system if it doesn't provide suitable checks and balances. Which I think it doesn't.
Justification for India's old caste system? (Score:3, Interesting)
I've read that the original idea behind India's caste system (a long, long time ago) was that different people were qualified for different jobs. I.e., ruling, manual labor, trade, etc. The idea was to basically codify this reality. (I don't believe that caste was originally imagined as hereditary, but I could be wrong.)
Anyway, if persons' ability to handle responsibility, make good decisions, etc. could be shown to have a genetic basis, I wonder if this would actually validate some of that old system's grounding principles.
(Also reminds me go Gattaca, though.)Re:I'd want a test for exactly that reason. (Score:3, Interesting)
Socialism means the end of progress; I though Nazi example should have taught us as much.
Re:Interesting... (Score:3, Interesting)
She can't drink anymore, so she finds other ways of shooting herself in the foot, trying her hardest to ruin and wreck things for herself.
Is this because of some rogue gene? I seriously doubt it. This is what is known as a character flaw, one that is unfortunately very serious.
I hope that she is able to eventually work her way through all of the nonsense she's pulled in on top of herself. It is rare that someone is able to do this, but it does happen.
Re:Interesting... (Score:3, Interesting)
A character flaw is, by definition, something that we are responsible for.