It's nothing new that we have what's referred to as "instinct", or inherited fears of dangerous creatures or risky behaviors. This is intriguing because they trained mice to fear something innocuous, cherry blossom scent, and demonstrated that even offspring held that fear even though they had no reason to otherwise. It holds greater implications to how amenable DNA is to by programming and might change the balance of the whole nature vs nurture argument, not to mention possibly lead to new treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. If DNA can be "programmed", it can be "de-programmed."
New research from Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, has shown that it is possible for some information to be inherited biologically through chemical changes that occur in DNA. During the tests they learned that that mice can pass on learned information about traumatic or stressful experiences – in this case a fear of the smell of cherry blossom – to subsequent generations.
According to the Telegraph, Dr Brian Dias, from the department of psychiatry at Emory University, said: ”From a translational perspective, our results allow us to appreciate how the experiences of a parent, before even conceiving offspring, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations.
“Such a phenomenon may contribute to the etiology and potential intergenerational transmission of risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
