Technology Review: A Comeback for Lamarckian Evolution?
Apropos the malleability of IQ:
Mice genetically engineered to have memory problems were placed in a stimulus-rich environment, which improved their memory relative to a control group, not surprisingly.
What was rather astounding, however, is that the offspring of these mice, who inherited the genetically engineered memory gene, showed improved memory function even absent the stimulus-rich environment.
The study highlights a growing body of evidence that under certain circumstances, acquired traits can in fact be inherited without changes to the DNA sequence. The exact mechanism of this phenomenon is still not understood.
Wonder if that might explain part of the intergenerational increases in IQ that have been observed around the world?
Via Bioforum, Kim LaCelle
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment