My genetic profile says I d be a heroin addict

February 22, 2012, 12:31 pm by Scientific American: Mind and Brain

Two years ago my genes were profiled. Results ranged from useful (high risk for blood clots) to mildly unsettling (I do have curly blonde hair and blue eyes). But among the laundry list of drug response and trait data was something that peaked my interest — sandwiched between Floxacillin Toxicity and Lumirazcoxib Side Effects was Heroin Addiction. And guess what? I have substantially higher odds of being a heroin addict. — Yes, that is based on preliminary data. But in this case, I’m not so interested in accuracy as I am about our reaction to the data and its implications. Here’s a look at my results: [More]

Read the full article

More from Scientific American: Mind and Brain

#SciAmBlogs Thursday - Contagious Yawning, Ancient Bacteria, Electric Grid, Fossil amoebae, and more.
Scientific American: Mind and Brain : May 18, 2012, 12:55 pm
- Jason G. Goldman – Contagious Yawning: Evidence of Empathy?   [More]

Know Your Neurons: Meet the Glia
Scientific American: Mind and Brain : May 18, 2012, 12:00 pm
Previously, on Know Your Neurons: Chapter 1: The Discovery and Naming of the Neuron [More]

Friday Weird Science: whip it good, hold me closer, and other reproductive music messages
Scientific American: Mind and Brain : May 18, 2012, 9:12 am
This Friday, I got a fabulous paper via the Digital Cuttlefish where people analyzed pop songs for the evolutionary psychology hidden (or not so hidden) messages . [More]

To Enjoy Free Time, Forget Your Hourly Wage
Scientific American: Mind and Brain : May 18, 2012, 8:30 am
We commonly treat time as a commodity. Or at least we have since Benjamin Franklin said that “time is money.” Even so, thinking of time in terms of money keeps us from

Contagious Yawning: Evidence of Empathy?
Scientific American: Mind and Brain : May 17, 2012, 9:30 am
When is a yawn just a yawn? When is a yawn more than a yawn? Contagious yawning – the increase in likelihood that you will yawn after watching or hearing someone