September 3rd, 2008
Would you abort George Clooney
Stories about RS3 334, the so-called “monogamy gene” found by Hasse Walumat at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, all seem to feature pictures of the actor George Clooney.
Clooney makes a good hook because he’s unmarried, a confirmed batchelor whom some call a commitment phobe. (Picture from the actor’s fan site.)
The researchers found that the gene relates to the vasopressin receptor for oxytocin. Oxytocin is also called the “cuddle chemical” and if you don’t produce much then intimacy can be a problem.
You may have one or two copies of this gene, or you may have none. If you have two, chances are you’re single or having trouble staying married.
The full article is due to go into Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
All this goes back to one of the earliest social controversies in genetic science, the search for a gay gene.
Such a gene has not been found, and scientists are now questioning whether it exists, but some wonder whether, if you knew your fetus had that gene, you wouldn’t be better off aborting the child.
A recent Law & Order episode, called Misbegotten, focused on the question. A researcher supposedly finds the gene, and an abortion becomes evidence in a murder case.
The point here is there are all sorts of traits and behaviors which, when tied to genetics, may lead some to feel they face hard choices.
When the subject at hand is controversial, or unpopular, as gays remain in some circles, it’s very easy to conceive of a plan to eliminate that trait from the gene pool.
But what about when it’s George Clooney?
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist since 1978, and has covered technology since 1982. He launched the Interactive Age Daily, the first daily coverage of the Internet to launch with a magazine, in September 1994. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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| 09/03/08
