Slashdot Mirror


Acquired Characteristics May Be Inheritable

A story from a week or so back in Technology Review describes research coming to the surprising conclusion that Jean-Baptiste Lamarck may have been right — that acquired characteristics can be passed on to offspring, at least in rodents. Lamarck's ideas have been controversial for 200 years, and dismissed in mainstream scientific thinking for nearly that long. "In Feig's study, mice genetically engineered to have memory problems were raised in an enriched environment — given toys, exercise, and social interaction — for two weeks during adolescence. The animals' memory improved... The mice were then returned to normal conditions, where they grew up and had offspring. This next generation of mice also had better memory, despite having the genetic defect and never having been exposed to the enriched environment."

2 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Finally... by RuBLed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Interesting eh? So how did it explained religion?

    Is it where the first ones get all the good stuff and the offsprings only get to dream/think about it? Well I could understand that if the scenario was giving dozens of virgins to one guy, the rest would only dream about it. In that case it would be a supply and demand problem, not an inherited one. (or in our case as /.ers, it might not even matter if there's an abundance in the supply anyway.)

  2. Re:DNA Learning by gardyloo · · Score: 3, Funny

    It could be one day possible to create a kind of device that harmonizes human beings early on in childhood development, increasing their awareness and understandings.

          Beer.