Memory in DNA

Human beings still have basic fears. Perhaps this is a manifestation of fears our ancestors had to contend with although we may view many of them as "irrational" such as fear of the dark or enclosed spaces. Perhaps these fears are encoded as "memory" in our DNA. Interesting subject.

Welcome to A2K, Sleidia. The memory of which you speak is best classified as a function of RNA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA

One other thought on the same topic : when genetic engineering gets 100 times more powerful than now, don't you think that geneticians will be able to add artificial data to human DNA/RNA strands? Maybe they will be able to encode some important human knowledge directly inside the human code, thus giving future generations the chance to get back some lost knowledge.

Maybe, some lost knowledge is already encoded inside us.

Well ... this would make a great background for a nice sci-fi novel

Nick hit on an interesting idea as well. I have always asserted that there are only two basic emotions, love and fear, so his musing could be spot on.

Here is another fascinating study that you may find interesting, Sleidia:

http://www.seedsofheaven.com/akashic.html

My Irish friend and I used to discuss the possibility that ones parents may well pass on a certain gene that kept a child from contracting certain illnesses. We already know that a newborn is automatically protected from such things for about three months after birth, because of the mother's protective shield, if you will.

Thanks for the last link
Good to see that I'm not the only one who thought about it.

Re: Memory in DNA


No. But it's a neat idea.

DNA is not really a recording mechanism. Physical structures result from DNA codes, but DNA does not change due to changes in physical structure or memory.

DNA "records" any errors in its own replication, but that's just mutation.

The closest thing to recorded memories stored in DNA would be things like instincts or autonomic responses, but those things are the result of physical structures (structures in the brain in the case of instinct).

I don't think fears would count as born-with memories. Fears are learned. You learn a fear of heights after your first few trips and falls. Your fear of the dark is because you are stripped of your sight - quite possibly the most important sense (for those with sight to begin with).

As for a parent giving a child a gene to fend off diseases... that's just not the case. Well, not in the context in which it was mentioned. Of course, someone could be born and have a genetic fortitude against certain illnesses jsut like someone can be genetically predisposed to contract an illness. This is just basic genetics though, nothing we don't know or any cause for awe. The genetic mutation for that is just dumb luck or possibly a parent contracting a diease and transferring some of the antibodies to the child in the womb. Again, nothing to be excited about.

USAF, it is rather well established that babies are born with fear of falling and fear of loud sounds. Can't support that right now, however.

I think you misunderstand. First of all, we can't say they are scared of falling at birth. We simply have absolutely no way to know. I suggest the reaction of them flailing out their arms when they are lowered quickly is nothing more than a reflex. And loud sounds, fear or not, are jarring to the ear. Again, it's reflex to recoil.

I checked it out on the net, and there have been several studies concerning that very thing. It seems some believe that it has to do with an underdeveloped psychomotor system in neonates. Of course, "fear" is connotation as opposed to denotation, so I guess it was upon that meaning that I based my evaluation.