What if society could identify aggressive behavior in individuals before a criminal act was committed? Sound a little like the Tom Cruise movie Minority Report (2002)?,well it should. Researchers at Brock University in Canada have recently completed a study of hockey players and found out that the aggressive tendencies of these individuals is associated with a higher width-to-height ratio of the face. This increased ratio is linked to higher levels of testosterone, which is linked to aggressiveness.
The problem with this research is that someone may attempt to pre-identify a criminal based upon an inherited characteristic. Sounds good? Well, maybe, if the study is done right. Not too long ago, studies of Jacob's syndrome, males with an extra Y chromosome (XYY), predicted that since these males had an extra Y chromosome, that they should have higher testosterone levels and be more aggressive than "normal" (XY) males. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. These males do not typically have high testosterone levels, and although they may show higher levels of aggression, this is usually attributed to learning and social problems as a result of the syndrome. These, of course, are treatable with proper identification.
So back the minority report. Should I be keeping an eye on my block-headed neighbor for signs of criminal intent based upon this study. Probably not. Another explanation may be that people with different width-to-height ratio of the face may prefer to play hockey rather than other sports. Who knows, maybe this gives them advantage when being knocked in the head by a stick, or maybe low width-to-height ratio people are selected against in tryouts. In either case, lets not make Minority Report a reality. People should be prosecuted for their actions, not their genetics.
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