Thestoryofthewarriorgenestartsin 1978, when a womanwalkedinto a hospitalintheNetherlands, andnotbecauseshewasworriedaboutherself, butbecauseshewasworriedaboutherfamily.
Allthemeninthefamilyhad a historyofreallyterribleviolentcrimes.
Theyfoundthathaving a variationthatjustlowersthelevelofactivityofthisgene, notknocksitoutcompletely, butjustlowerstheactivity, wasassociatedwith a historyofviolence.
Butcuriously, mostlyonlyinpeoplewhoalsohad a verydifficultchildhoodaswell.
AndthatcaughttheeyeofresearchersinFinlandworkingwithprisonersin a veryhighsecurityprison.
Wecollected a cohortofaround 800 prisoners, andabouttwo-thirdsofthemhadconductedatleastoneviolentcrime.
But a littlebitmorethan 10% or 15% hadcommittedatleast 10 violentcrimes, murders, attemptedmurders, manslaughters.
I wasskeptical, butwhatwedidfindwasindeedifanindividualhadtwoormoreviolentcrimes, thenheorshehadsignificantlymoreofthelowactivityMAOA.
Weknowthatuptosixintenpeoplearewalkingaroundwith a lowactivityversionofMAOA, butofcourse, sixoutoftenpeopledon't commithorrificviolentcrimes.
Soobviouslywecan't saythatifyou'vegotthisgenevariationyouaregoingtobe a violentcriminal. Geneticsdoesn't reallyworklikethat.
Butthisideathatthere's a genebehindviolentbehavior, couldyouusethatas a defenseincourt?