Inherited Rat Phobia
A phobia is described as an extreme or irrational fear of or an aversion to something. There are several known phobias; the common ones are fear of rats, mice or spiders. It is now discovered that memories can be transferred to later generations through genetic switches, which turns genes on and off in response to specific signals, and this allows offspring to inherit the experience of their ancestors. A study proved that experiences can be transferred through genes, the cherry blossom test, involved exposing mice to a whiff of cherry blossom scent. At the exact moment of releasing the scent the mice were subjected to foot shocks. The procedure was conducted several times until they learnt to associate the smell with the shocks. As a result, every time the scent was released, the mice reacted fearfully. These mice were allowed to mate and their offspring were also averse to the smell of cherry blossom, and this observation was evident for several generations. Mice conceived through artificial insemination from the sperm of a mouse that was exposed to the smell showed the same odour sensitivity.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inherited-rat-phobia-randy-bilesky?published=t
http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/blog-inherited-rat-phobia-1.2228444
