bobwinners
15th August 2007 - 03:48 AM
http://www.physorg.com/news106316857.html I"ve often thought, while watching a cat snooze, twitching slightly, that it might reliving an earlier life, in which it bit the heads of humans for kicks.
StevenA
15th August 2007 - 04:05 AM
I admit not understanding how these latent memories are passed on to next generation other than via. genetic information and that would imply a selective activation/modification of genetic material would be necessary and that genetic content inherited by offspring would be altered by the parents experiences.
Has such a mechanism been verified to affect the DNA of offspring? Sounds new to me (though it would appear to be an evolutionary advantage and so encouraged by evolution, if possible, as short term adaptations could occur faster and DNA would be less species specific and a coevolution of genetic material could exist between species)
ubavontuba
19th August 2007 - 08:20 AM
The word for this is, "instinct."
If the parent learned a skill that saved it from extermination, the DNA of the brain and body that enabled this skill is passed down. Overtime, the actual pathways in the brain and physical attributes that regulate this behavior can be refined through DNA to the extent that the behavior itself becomes inherited (instinctual).
Did you learn how to breath and to suckle? No? Then how did you know how to do them? Neither behavior was characteristic of earlier evolutionary epochs.
Flys instinctually jump backward when you swat at them. Aim an inch behind them and you'll never miss... that is until some fly inadvertently jumps forward. Then, we'll have to rethink our strategy.
DiamondJim
20th August 2007 - 09:01 AM
Waking from a light sleep I have found myself moving arms and legs in reaction to something I have dreamed about. There are cases of people making very violent moves because of their dreams where the body is not properly disconnected from the mind so still works.
Ants fascinate me. They have a mind equal (it is said) to a 128k computer and yet they are capable of very structured behaviour with warriors, farmers, fire fighters, and so on, being able to work together in large groups. It has to all be ancient memory rather than learning.