CHICAGO – Oozing sores, cockroaches and certain Illinois politicians may have something in common.

They can all provoke the facial expression you may be making right now – raised upper lip, wrinkled nose – according to a study being published this week in the journal Science. That’s the disgust response, a primal reaction scientists believe evolved to keep us from eating or touching stuff that will make us sick.

The study, done by researchers at University of Toronto, used electromyography to measure subtle and not-so-subtle facial muscle movements when people were asked to drink something disgusting (bitter quinine), view something disgusting (photos of dirty toilets and the like) and experience something morally disgusting (getting cheated in a game).

In all three cases, people made the same face, leading researchers to conclude that our reaction to morally disgusting things can be linked to the same ancient response we have to, say, maggots and spoiled food.

Asked whether that would include the collective response to Illinois politics, study co-author Adam Anderson, a professor of psychology at University of Toronto, said yes.

“The theory is that you don’t want to be shaking (Rod) Blagojevich’s hand because it is almost like you can catch what he has,” he said. “That is disgust. It’s saying you are like poison, and I can catch your disease.”

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AP-NY-02-27-09 1153EST

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