I'm not sure what to make of this, other than interesting. From Science Daily:
Researchers Find a 'Liberal Gene'
Now let me add the obvious counterpart: Lack of such a gene would predispose one to be a conservative. Enjoy the navel gazing.
ScienceDaily (Oct. 28, 2010) — Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4. The study's authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain political views.
Appearing in the latest edition of The Journal of Politics published by Cambridge University Press, the research focused on 2,000 subjects from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. By matching genetic information with maps of the subjects' social networks, the researchers were able to show that people with a specific variant of the DRD4 gene were more likely to be liberal as adults, but only if they had an active social life in adolescence.
One must get out of the house and play with the other children in order to become a Liberal. Check.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter affecting brain processes that control movement, emotional response, and ability to experience pleasure and pain. Previous research has identified a connection between a variant of this gene and novelty-seeking behavior, and this behavior has previously been associated with personality traits related to political liberalism.
Seeking new things. Double check.
Well, that's about as much as I should post from the link. The upshot is that if you're a Liberal, you probably were given a one-up by the DRD4 receptor, and your parents told you to get out of the house on a nice day instead of watching the boob tube. Out there in the wild world, you met other kids and interacted with them. Ideas were shared. Plans were made.
The kids without the special receptor and holed up in the house watching Bozo the Clown? Well, they are amongst us and it ain't pretty.