Scientists working with mice have found that by removing a single gene they can turn normally cautious animals into daring ones, mice that are more willing to explore unknown territory and less intimidated by sights and sounds that they have learned can be dangerous.

The story onthis, found in today's NYTimes, gives a quick outline of the process by which the discovery was made and suggests some situations and applications where humans application might prove beneficial. Things such as ridding people of bad memories from disasters to disabling anxiety in social settings.

I love science and new discoveries but the realities of the market society we have built dictate that scientific discoveries(publicly subsidized science in this and many cases) be subject to the same private market forces as all else which inexorably leads to the biggest and longest running protector and advocate of the capitalist free market force...war.

NY Times author Benedict Carey indicates his awareness but not antipathy to this idea explaining to readers that this new scientific discovery "may well prove applicable to humans" by "disabling anxiety in social settings" such as, Carey posits, "the horror of combat".

Boosters will say this is pessimistic. My response? When you all have some time pick up a history book and take a look at what's been done with any number of scientific or engineering discoveries lauded as having great potential for the betterment of life.

Start with something like the airplane.