82. Which Kids Join Gangs? A Genetic Explanation
By Kathleen Kingsbury TIME Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2009

82-1-398
How much power do genes hold over behavior? Can they predict, for example, whether a child will grow up to join a gang? Those are among the questions raised by a new Florida State University (FSU) study released June 5. (What Can Genetic Tests Tell You?)
Since the early 1990s, science has suggested a link between antisocial behavior and a defect in the gene that codes for an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). A low level of activity on the MAO-A gene results in an excessive breakdown of neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, which helps keep humans calm and happy. The defect thereby increases the urge to react aggressively to threats or fears, leading MAO-A to be referred to as the "warrior" gene.
The latest research, however, takes the association one step further. It is the first to link low activity on the MAO-A allele in young men both to an increased likelihood of joining a gang and to a greater tendency to use weapons and violence. "For the first time, we were able to establish a direct connection between the MAO-A gene and the choosing of a violent lifestyle," says Kevin Beaver, a biosocial criminologist at FSU and lead author of the study published in Comprehensive Psychiatry.

A. 어휘
genetic 유전적. 유전인자. predict 예언하다. release 발표하다, 공개하다.
antisocial behavior 반사회적 행동. defect 缺陷(결함).
code for 유전정보를 지정하다, 지시하다. enzyme 酵素(효소). activity 활동.
excessive 과도한. breakdown 장애, 파괴, 몰락. neurotransmitter 신경전달물질.
urge 충동, 재촉하다, 몰아대다. aggressively 공격적으로.
refer to ...에 속하는 것으로 하다, 참조하다. warrior 군인, 병사, 투사.
association 연관. allele (유전)대립인자. likelihood 가능성. connection 연결.
biosocial 生社會的(생사회적). criminologist 범죄학자.
lead author 수석저자. Comprehensive 종합적인, 포괄적인, 이해하는.
psychiatry 정신의학, 정신병학.


82-2-399
Researchers used DNA data and self-reported lifestyle surveys from nearly 2,500 participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the largest and most comprehensive survey of health-related behavior among adolescents between 7th and 12th grade, which started in 1994. Slightly more than half of the study's male participants had low-level activity on the MAO-A gene, and about 3% of the total pool reported having joined a named gang in the past year.
Beaver and his colleagues found that those males carrying the low-active MAO-A gene were nearly twice as likely to join an organized gang than males with the high-active gene, and when in a fight, they were nearly twice as likely to brandish a weapon. Of the gang members studied, those who had a low-activity MAO-A allele were more than four times more likely to use a weapon when compared with male gang members who carried a high-activity version of the allele. "At the very least this suggests a genetic risk factor that can help us identify those youth most at risk," Beaver says. "We can then intervene earlier to prevent it."

A. 어휘
participant 참가자. Longitudinal 세로의, 길이의, 經度(경도)의.
adolescent 청년, 청년기의. comprehensive 종합적인. slightly 약간.
male participants 남성참가자들. pool 전체 참가인원, 생산자 연합.
colleague 동료. brandish 무기나 흉기를 휘두르다. allele 대립유전자.
genetic risk factor 유전적 위험인자. identify 확인하다, 鑑定(감정)하다.
intervene 介入(개입)하다.

B. 구문
-about 3% of the total pool reported having joined a named gang.
→about 3% of the total pool reported that they had joined a named gang.
cf. 완료동명사→having+pp. : 본동사 보다 한 시제 앞선다.
ex. I am afraid that he was(has been) lost.=I am afraid of his having been lost.
[전체인원의 3%가 특정 범죄단체에 가담했던 것으로 보고되었다.]