At our last discussion meeting, the Skeptics touched on topics ranging from crime, evolution, free will and ethics.
Myself and others had mentioned seeing a few stories lately about offspring inheriting their parent's experiences, but I couldn't remember the exact details! (sometimes my short-term memory really fails me... an unfortunate trait for a Skeptic... haha)
Some recent stories on the topic:
A Comeback for Lamarckian Evolution?
Two new studies show that the effects of a mother's early environment can be passed on to the next generation.
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22061/
How your mother might affect your memory
A new study in mice suggests that a mother's childhood experiences may affect the brain function of her offspring.
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=how-your-mother-might-affect-your-m-2009-02-03
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Whoa. Very, very cool. I would be very skeptical of this finding if the researchers didn't already have a physical mechanism for the experiences to be passed on, that being the epigenetic changes. Of course, you still have to extrapolate from mice to humans, but at least there it's easier to control other variables.
ReplyDeleteAs if there weren't enough reasons to be terrified of being a bad mother one day!