'Happyhour' Gene Decides How Fast You Get Drunk

What if your genes determined how much of a tolerance you had to alcohol—and you could take a drug that would turn those genes on or off? That scenario may not be far from reality: researchers studying fruit flies have discovered a gene called "happyhour" that renders heavyweights incapable of handling more than a few sips, NewScientist reports.

The team of biologists, who previously found genes they dubbed "cheapdate" and "hangover," posit that some existing cancer drugs could also treat alcoholism by blocking the same pathway "happyhour" runs on. Rats given the cancer drug chose to drink less, and both mice and flies got plastered on less alcohol when the gene was turned off.
(More genetics stories.)