Sexual Infidelity: Of Mice (sic Voles) and Men
After hearing the story last night on my local late night news that scientists had discovered a “gene that causes men to cheat,” I felt compelled (as a red-blooded American male) to investigate the story in greater detail. After all, what man wouldn’t want to claim that his philandering behavior was caused by aberrant genes—“Honey, I really do love you but my genes made me do it!”
A quick perusal of several articles on the subject revealed that scientists at Sweden’s famed Karolinska Institute had previously identified a variant of a gene that may be responsible for the sexual infidelity in voles (mole-like mammals). The wild type gene is thought to encode a protein that regulates the activity of hormones involved in vole sexual fidelity.
In an attempt to extend their observations to humans, Karolinska scientists screened 1,000 couples and found that two of five (40%) males had the so-called “cheating allele (s).” Not surprisingly, the researchers didn’t disclose whether men with the variant allele(s) cheated (or were more likely to cheat) on their mates. The researches primarily focused on men because the gene is thought to play less of a role in females.
I think the results of the study are interesting—and may have some basis in fact— but I think the news media, as usual, has made a “mountain out of a mole hill (pardon the pun)!” Undoubtedly, the discovery may provide men caught cheating with an excuse albeit a feeble one. However, it is evident that the study will provide little solace for women who are caught cheating on their mates!!!!
After spending seven long years as a medical school professor listening to one immunology seminar after another, one thing is for certain--that discoveries in mice don’t always translate well in humans. That said, I think the jury may still be out on the “cheating gene.”
Until next time….
Good Luck and Good Hunting (only jobs)
