The Biography of a Gene

The existence of a “warrior gene” is a contested issue among scientists. We want to tackle this controversy by documenting the birth of the scientific proposition that links the MAOA gene with aggression, as well as the process by which it gains facticity. This exploration is followed by a brief incursion into the other careers of this same gene: the aggression gene, the cycle of violence inhibitor gene, the Maori evolution gene, and the Brunner syndrome in the field of intellectual disability. By tracing the biography of a gene, we hope to generate further interest within critical criminological circles for science as a practice, notably the practice of biocriminology.