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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMale and female behavior deconstructed
Looks like scientists are getting closer to nailing down the 'nature' side of gender-related behavior... and possibly future treatments for disorders and diseases that affect one gender more than the other.
(snip)
Now a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has uncovered many genes influenced by the male and female sex hormones testosterone and estrogen that, in turn, govern several specific types of male and female behaviors in mice.
The UCSF team selectively turned many of these genes off one by one and found they could manipulate individual behaviors in the mice, like their sex drive, desire to pick fights, or willingness to spend extra time caring for their young.
"It's as if you can deconstruct a social behavior into genetic components," said Nirao Shah, MD, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy at UCSF who led the research, which is published in the 2/3/12 issue of the journal Cell. "Each gene regulates a few components of a behavior without affecting other aspects of male and female behavior.
(snip)
"Some of the genes we have identified in our study have indeed been implicated in various human disorders that are found in sex-skewed ratios," said Shah. "We won't immediately find all the answers to these disorders based on this research alone, but in the future, it might indeed help to identify more informed ways of treating such conditions."
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apples and oranges
(1,451 posts)Governments could misuse it to create a more docile society.
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)Zalatix
(8,994 posts)lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)Zalatix
(8,994 posts)No more picking fights, attempting to mount females, no more wars...
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)mike_c
(36,281 posts)...for some time-- this research just tells us some of the genetic mechanisms involved with regulating those responses. I think it's fascinating because it shines light on the genetic control of behavior, and helps us frame the context within which individual "free will" operates.
YoungDemCA
(5,714 posts)If you look at societies that are extremely patriarchal, they have much worse social problems, economic inequality, repression, poverty, lack of opportunity, lagging economic growth, violence, war...the list goes on!
On the other hand, if you look at societies that are more egalitarian in gender opportunities, they have higher life expectancies, more equality (not just gender equality, either), better economic growth, less crime, less repression, more freedom, higher quality of life across the board.
The moral of the story: When we, the men of the world, have too much power, we tend to screw things up really badly.
lumberjack_jeff
(33,224 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 4, 2012, 09:34 PM - Edit history (1)
A Somali warlord controls all the community wealth and shares it at his discretion.
Sweden and Rwanda were both created by men. I think your moral is too reductionist to be of any value.
WingDinger
(3,690 posts)The first application will be conditional release of violent felons, given they accept hormonal disrupters.
JustAnotherGen
(32,046 posts)You find the most thought provoking articles for my fiance and me to discuss! Thanks!
redqueen
(115,108 posts)Warren DeMontague
(80,708 posts)Fortified by testosterone, male mice in the laboratory display behaviors tending toward the aggressive. They will fight with each other, try to mount female mice and mark their territory with urine. Deprived of testosterone, however, castrated male mice no longer behave so aggressively.
I must have a lot of both.
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)petronius
(26,613 posts)It's too bad they didn't have access to a skilled editor such as yourself, to boil down all that irrelevant and meaningless verbiage into such a succinct and pithy statement...
(Now please tell me if you'd like a sarcasm smiley, an eyeroll smiley, or both. I'll come back later and edit in your preference.)
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)I guess I totally mistook "often inducing aggressive behavior in the process" and "they will fight with each other, try to mount female mice and mark their territory with urine" as bad things.
In fact, I totally missed all the good things that the article had to say about testosterone, particularly...
er...
ummm....
I know they were mentioned in there somewhere.
petronius
(26,613 posts)testosterone, estrogen, or any other hormone. What you should be asking yourself is: why did you read an article describing the biological and behavioral effects of sex hormones and interpret it as a judgmental comparison piece requiring score-keeping and fair play?
lunatica
(53,410 posts)apply to our genetics, life would be pretty cool for both sexes everywhere.
hootinholler
(26,449 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)BUT a thumbpad? Women don't have a thumbpad...I've looked.
And the buttons are way to willy-nilly chaotic...a womans buttons would be lined up and organized imo.
That bottom control panel looks more like my room right now (chaos) then anything else.
Just my freakin 2 centars...
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)would be unmarked as well. It would be a huge red button that has to be punched really hard to change from off to on.
gort
(687 posts)Here's all you have to know about men and women: women are crazy, men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. -George Carlin.
behold a pale horse
(42 posts)Man are scientists off! Some men are more nurturing than some women and visa versa!