Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Mice Inherit Specific Memories, Because Epigenetics?

"The researchers made mice afraid of a fruity odor, called acetophenone, by pairing it with a mild shock to the foot...Ten days after this fear training, Dias allowed the animals to mate. And that’s where the crazy begins. The offspring (known as the F1 generation) show an increased startle to the fruity smell even when they have never encountered the smell before, and thus have no obvious reason to be sensitive to it. And their reaction is specific: They do not startle to another odor called propanol. Craziest of all, their offspring (the F2 generation) show the same increased sensitivity to acetophenone."



National Geographics: Mice Inherit Specific Memories, Because Epigenetics?