Apparently your opinions are genetically influenced, - and can be altered (or the bla

[Alien]

An interesting article in the Los Angeles Times a fews weeks ago told of new science suggesting that genes play a much bigger role in human behaviour and opinion-making than previously presumed.

Basically, what scientists now believe is that:

1. Genes, behaviour and opinions cannot be separated, these are interconnected and interact on a biological level.

2. Some genes can be turned on and off, triggered by upbringing and life experience. Life experiences are described as “the nuances that set families’ members apart”.

3. At birth, a child’s genes are predisposed for certain behaviour, like aggression, antisocial acts, goodness or greed, etc. A child’s upbringing can chemically alter the expression of some of the child’s genes and temper their effects.

4. Such biochemical changes in how a gene behaves can, in turn, be inherited, even though they do not actually change the structure of the gene itself.
   The pitch of the article was whether criminal behaviour somewhat is inherited. To exemplify they used the case of Ward Weaver III, who has been charged with murder and may join his father on death row. There are several similar examples, for instance executed killer Gary Graham, whose son was convicted of murder and sentenced to life some time ago.
   I guess this could mean that:

5. If liberals starts to breed like bunnies, they could control the executive, legislative and judicial branch in, eh, 30 years.

6. This defies the “gay is a genetic thing” stupidity some advocate. Well, if gays have had far less children than straights over the centuries, that gene should have been extinct by now.

7. That Rumsfeld’s wife and december better not hook up.
   So, what do you think? Pure drivel or hardcore facts?

Some background for those interested:

Scientists in 5 countries are [involved in a huge project] cataloging the millions of variations in that human biochemical text that sets people apart 1 from another, including those that may affect behavior and emotion.

Studies of twins appear to demonstrate that bullying and aggressive behavior are influenced by heredity, said scientists at the University of Southampton and the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden.

Even social attitudes like a fondness for roller coasters or an opinion on the death penalty appear to be shaped by genetic factors, according to studies by independent research teams at USC, the University of Western Ontario and the University of British Columbia.

“There is no doubt that much of personality is genetically influenced,” said Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of “The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.”
Peer into the brain of a convicted killer - as USC psychologist Adrian Raine has done so many times - and a distinctive signature of neural activity can be discerned, like reefs and shoals rippling the surface of the ocean.

Love is in some measure the influence of a brain chemical called oxytocin and fluctuating levels of vasopressin. Aggression and depression are a measure of serotonin levels.

By altering a single gene that affects vasopressin, scientists can turn philandering mice into faithful, devoted mates.

Eliminate four genes that affect levels of oxytocin and estrogen, and mice cannot recognize their friends or their enemies.

Make just one genetic change in how a brain hormone such as serotonin is controlled and researchers also can eliminate or elevate some kinds of aggression - at least in mice.
The way a mother holds and strokes her child can chemically alter the expression of some of the child’s genes and temper their effects, said psychiatrist Glen Gabbard at Baylor College of Medicine, who studies how biology and the environment affect personality disorders.

“We have come to the realization that there is no dichotomy between genes and environment,” said UCLA clinical psychiatrist Regina Palley. “They both interact at a biological level.”
Some legal experts, sociologists and ethicists worry that medical techniques developed to treat behavior will instead become tools of control, transforming crime and punishment.

Once a genetic diagnosis for a predisposition to impulsive violence or antisocial behavior is possible, it may only be a short step to classify violence as an inherited disease, subject to medical controls that do not offer the same safeguards and civil protections as criminal proceedings, Columbia University law professor Harold Edgar said.

“What will we do once we know what predisposes people to behavior? To what extent can we predict and punish antisocial acts before they occur?” asked Lori Andrews, director of the Institute of Science, Law and Technology at Chicago-Kent College of Law. “Should we identify these people and keep them under surveillance? Should we try to reprogram them or mandate medical treatment?”

“Are there basic principles of the legal system we might have to change, in terms of how we view responsibility?” she asked. “If we can say that my genes made me do it, we may have to rethink the very foundation of criminal law.”

The original story is gone from LA Times’ site, but Google still got a copy:
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:qJeRmO_Qu6MJ:www.latimes.com/news/local/la-sci-weaver28jun28.story+Even+social+attitudes+like+a+fondness+for+roller+coasters&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Another, shortened, copy is here:
http://www.charleston.net/stories/070503/wor_05violence.shtml

[Thylacine]

*Originally posted by Alien *
**2. This defies the “gay is a genetic thing” stupidity some advocate. Well, if gays have had far less children than straights over the centuries, that gene should have been extinct by now.
**

Perhaps if gay folks hadn’t been forced by religion and society into marriages and parenting for most of history there would likely be less of the gay gene about. Of course now we are allowed to be out and still fulfill our wishes to breed if we have them there is no hope for killing us off.

Sorry about that :wally

[MLS]

Well, if gays have had far less children than straights over the centuries, that gene should have been extinct by now.

There are a lot of theories on how, if there is a genetic basis for homosexuality, it does not become extinct. For instance, if it is a recessive gene, it can be carried in the background for many generations. Another speculates that the presence of a certain number of non-reproducing individuals in a population increases the overall success of that group, since those non-parents are available to help in providing for the children of the others, or to be adoptive parents if the natural ones die.

[matt_mcl]

If I’m gay and gay is genetic, that means my parents carried a gay gene, and they’re straight. That would mean they could have passed it to my brother, who is also straight, and could pass it to his children. IOW, it could be a recessive trait, like blonde hair.

[Hilarity_N.Suze]

My husband is a carrier of the Perfect Child gene. Only one out of our three got it, though. Really. This kid did his homework without nagging, did his chores without them being mentioned, and was such a little angel (most of the time; there were a couple of oopsies and a bad case of high-school Senioritis) that we thought he must have been somehow switched at birth. (During the Senioritis phase he thought so, too.)

Except that my husband’s daughter from his first marriage also has this gene and was the same way. Perfect. Eager to please. Happy. With her, since she lived with her mother, we didn’t even see the exceptions.

Not that I’m saying our other two are bad, but they have to be, um, encouraged to do the right thing, at times.

[matt_mcl]

Oh, yes: I’m a carrier of the McLauchlin Messy Gene. My dad had it too, and so did his sister, and his brother, and their father.

[Mockingbird]

I guess I inherited a “Bitchslap the Stupid” gene.

It is a unique but dominant gene that makes me want to verbally evicerate people who use terms like: “gay is a genetic thing” stupidity

[Fretful_Porpentine]

And I inherited the Foreign Language Flakiness gene from my father, which causes the bearer to begin studying a new language with great enthusiasm, give up after a few months, and move on to the next language. It is entirely his fault that I cannot speak Czech or Thai.

[UrbanChic]

I’d like to know what the rest of your title was supposed to read.

[Homebrew]

The study referenced in the OP is entirely consistent with the current position of the American Psychological Association

There are numerous theories about the origins of a person’s sexual orientation; most scientists today agree that sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors. In most people, sexual orientation is shaped at an early age. There is also considerable recent evidence to suggest that biology, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors, play a significant role in a person’s sexuality. In summary, it is important to recognize that there are probably many reasons for a person’s sexual orientation and the reasons may be different for different people.

[bolding mine]