First it was the soldier gene that makes warriors out of toddlers, then it was the gay gene that turned alpha males into she-males. Don't look now but we've got another excuse to enjoy tobacco!

Light that Cuban cigar, tough guy, because researchers at the University of Iowa say that there's sufficient evidence to prove that some people may literally have been born to smoke. In a scan of the 30,000 genes in the human genome, they determined a pattern that is common between smokers and absent among their non-smoking counterparts.

The study involved 94 people who were subjected to a method known as transcriptional profiling. In the mix were smokers and nonsmokers and found out that there are 579 genes in the average smoker which are more active and there are 584 less active ones. That means there is no reason for your mama to blame it on peer pressure. It only means that a smoker's physiological makeup makes him more prone to nicotine addiction.

Social judgement and the ability to interact with your peers also has a direct influence coming from the genetic makeup of a person. "When you look at substance-abuse disorders and antisocial behavior, these are the last vestiges of the belief that mental impairments are related to moral will," says University of Iowa forensic psychiatry director Tracy Gunter.

The study also determined that genes linked to smoking are also linked with depression and panic disorders, which may later on prove that there's a correlation among the habits and minor mental disorders. This, the experts say, would require another look.

The study on nicotine addiction being linked to genes follows the series of studies conducted around the world which answers the question on whether or not addictions are innate or acquired.