Thread: genetic memory

Just want to know what people think about the subject of genetic memory
do you think that it is real I think that to an extente it does what I mean is instincts, could this be a form of genetic memory plus to me it seems that the longer a species has been around the better the memory
1. insects have been around the longest and they seem to have the most, like lets say the spider they are not shown what to do but they know how to dance to attract a mate and avoid becoming lunch
2. then we have the reptiles the croc as newly hatched young they know that calling will bring there mother most creatures would not attracted attention to them when they are that young
3 the mammels the young deer that knows to lie down and stay still when a predator is close even thow its mother runs off
ok I know that these are very simple examples but you get the idea of what I mean

i do , we (Organisims) learn as we go on,

if its usful, for suriving, we will pass it on in our genes

however in humans this is not the case *an idea has just sprung into my head streming from you !*

yes i belive genes pass on new skills, but not in humans.

Jolko, all the examples you give are examples of instincts embedded in the genetic makeup of the creature. I think to call it memory is acceptable as long as we do not confuse it with the more common memory of events, as in "I remember how hot it was last August".
None of the instincts you have cited (or any of the thousands more that have been studied) have arisen because a creature 'remembered' how best to deal with an experience and passed that memory onto its offspring. For example, in your third example young deer that don't behave the way you describe are very likely to be eaten by predators and never have the chance of leaving offspring. Those that have a genetic predisposition to behave that way are more likely to survive.

Googgod3rd, why do you feel this does not apply to humans?

Ophiolite I understand what you are saying, but could it not be said the deer that does not recive that genetic memory to drop and stay will as you say not live long. but you could see how instincts could be considerd a form of genetic meomery, but yes its not memory in the sense that your kids will remeber "how hot it was last August", I'm thinking about more of a long term species memory rather than an individual memory I would probebly describe it along the lines of more of a accumulative survival memory, thats what I mean about the length of time a speices has been around.

This isn’t exactly what you are talking about but it still might be somewhat helpful. And, even if it isn't, it's darned interesting:

Several years ago I heard about an experiment in which flatworms were taught to run a maze; were then ground up and fed to other (untrained) flatworms who then ran the maze much better than still other (untrained) flatworms. I did a quick Google and found this site. It may not be the best one on the subject but it does tell part of the story.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=826389

I believe that genetic memory does exist to some degree, even with humans.

I think that as the species get newer, the genetic memory becomes more "survival of the fitest", and certain traits being passed down from the surving animals (squirels that run strait across the road have less of a chance of being hit by a car, than those that zig-zag)

Have you ever read the Congo (Micheal Crighton)? It talks some about genetic memory, though I am not sure how accurate it is.

Talking about genetic memory?

Sometimes people, which have received an organ (kidney transplant e.g.) from a donor, get some changes in their behaviour... which resemble behaviour of the donor ..

One woman received an kidney from young man which was very alive.. while she used not to be intersted in any form of sports.. after receiving the kidney, she now likes to watch some sport on TV ..

thats all i can add here.

If there is any truth in this report it would be linked to a sense of responsibility on the part of the recipient. There is not even a glimmering of a mechanism that would permit that kind of memory transmission to occur.

Googgod3rd, why do you feel this does not apply to humans?

i started a new post, with that. sorry, bout not returing to this discussion, my reasons are a bit .. unscientificly based.

basicly i think that becasue we have got so many aids and helpful things in our sociaty (even for the last 100,000 or more years) we don't have the need to evolve further.

eg. we don't need to have a sharp claws because we have used stone/metals to cut for years.

and because we have have a house over our heads (like we have had for quite a while) we havn't had the need to evlove, mentally so our ofspring have to do anything automaticly. our lifestyle has stoped natural selection. those are ideas, and already i have been sorto proved wrong... but my mind won't accept what im being told.

back to this topic .. genitivc memory dose exist, the things we learn and are usfl to live will be passed on, for animals. but i just tink human sdon't have to...