I really cannot waste more time on this.” But Seabrooke and Gonzalez aren’t hacks – they met as medical students studying neuroscience and genetics. I emailed a few geneticists for commentary on the veracity of Instant Chemistry’s science, and received the following response: “I spent three minutes reading what this company is offering, and my impression is it is total delusion. If you think this sounds bananas, you’re not alone. Seabrooke and Gonzalez argue that individual variations of these genes can determine how you communicate and process emotions, and subsequently how you and your partner will grow as a couple over time. HLA is the best studied of all of Instant Chemistry’s metrics: the others rely on extrapolating psychological profiles from four behavioral genetic variants: your serotonin transporter, oxytocin receptor, dopamine receptor, and a dopamine enzyme. As Gonzalez says, “How often have you heard something like, ‘I liked him, he was cute, but we didn’t have any chemistry.’ That’s not magic, that’s science.” How often have you heard someone say ‘I liked him, but we didn’t have any chemistry.’ That’s not magic, that’s science. HLA is what allows us to recognize the self: is this body mine or other? It controls what bacteria grows on and in you, producing your unique odor and taste, leaving you unbothered by your partner’s early-morning scent, their tongue, hair and hollows. In the process of analysis, first, they look at the genes of your immune system – the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) profile of you and your partner. Instant Chemistry only looks at select genetic material: it won’t map your genome, or tell you about mutations that could affect your offspring (to do so, they’d be diving into murky ethical waters and opening themselves up to the same scrutiny facing the genomics company 23andMe). Seabrooke and Gonzalez, for example, ring in at a cool 86%. Instant Chemistry then extracts certain genetic information from the samples and, based on what they term “bio- and neuro-compatibility”, score how compatible you are. (Permanent disclosure: Slate is owned by the Washington Post Co.Instant Chemistry works like so: you and your partner sign up to receive a “relationship kit” containing two saliva receptacles, which you spit into and send back to the company. If you can point me to a documented case of a returning Viet vet getting spat upon, please drop a line to E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise. I’ve ordered a CBS Evening News tape from 1971 in which a vet speaks about being spat on, so the debate is obviously far from over. Lindgren promises “More Blockbuster Revelations” about Jerry Lembcke’s work in days to come. If he’s still alive, Minarik could advance the current debate by coming forward and providing more details.
It goes without saying that none of these biographical details should disqualify Minarik’s testimony: Spit takes are disgusting whether flung on conservatives, socialists, or vegetarians. He tells the Chronicle-Telegram that he’s “very impressed” with President Nixon’s efforts to establish communications with students. It describes Minarik as a “conservative” University of Dayton student who had just appeared on The Mood on Campuses in 1971, a public television program moderated by Studs Terkel that gathered the views of students and professors.
2, 1971, Elyia, Ohio, Chronicle-Telegram news story.
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