Removing Gene Increases Bravery
Scientists working with mice have found that by removing a single gene they can turn normally cautious animals into daring ones, mice that are more willing to explore unknown territory and less intimidated by sights and sounds that they have learned can be dangerous.
Brain scientists who were not involved in the study said the study’s finding was unexpected.
The researchers found the fear-related gene by analyzing brain tissue, in particular the tiny prune-shaped region called the amygdala, which previous studies had shown to be especially active when animals and humans were afraid or anxious. They found that a protein called stathmin, produced by the stathmin gene, was highly concentrated in the amygdala but hard to detect elsewhere in the brain.
Using genetic engineering, the scientists removed the gene from mice and bred a line of the animals, all missing the same gene.
Traditionally, “Bravery” and “Courage” aren’t defined as a “lack of fear,” but rather as “being scared out of your mind, yet pushing past it to do something great anyway.” Since all humans fear, it is seen as more of a triumph when we overcome fear to do something great than if it were easy for us. Think about 9/11. We call those firefighters heroes, not just because they risked almost certain death to go into the towers to get people out, but because we know that any reasonable human (myself included) would have been running the other way, yet they went in.
Basically, if you start creating people without fear they obviously will be useful as soldiers, police, and firemen, but in the process you’ve taken away a fundamental aspect of being human, and you’ll no longer have any courageous people, just people who perform actions that once upon a time were called courageous.
Another setback for intelligent design . . . and evolution, too. I’m sure there’s a gene behind the mating instinct too. Maybe we remove it from convicted rapists!
What a wonderful world .
People with fear will have less children, leading to more and more daring, so more wars as time goes by.
Hmmm, I wonder if this would work on liberals?? It may be worth a try.