They claim that how memories are stored in the brain over decades is a mystery. But even simple Hopfield networks have stable fix-points to a few gradual deletions, especially if new neurons come into replenish them. I very much doubt that the major mechanism in the brain can be explained with this phenomenon, though the protein mechanics of synapses could certainly be aided or realized with this as a crucial component.
No, your not storing your memories in the cells that you use to have children. They are suggesting nerons are using their DNA like a message board to store information, but it's specific to each cell. I suspect like most processes in our cells DNA is involved, but what's changing is the wrapper around the DNA not the DNA's code.
Edit: think of DNA as program code, and what's wrapped around it as RAM.
Of course, last year we thought introns we junk dna, a few years ago there was no such thing as epigenetic information and rna was only an intermediary.
Does any one know of work that suggests that advantageous experience during life can be encoded in DNA and passed on? That would be Lamarckian. What would not be Lamarckian: (1) the example of this story; (2) environmental factors increasing mutation rate; (3) viral infection inserting new DNA. Others that would not count?
Right, if Retric's comment is correct, then the example of this story certainly isn't a vindication of Lamarck. But it might be a step in that direction.
I'm just an ignorant outsider, but the absolute dismissal of Lamarck always felt like a dogmatism to me. I'm suspicious whenever I hear words like "can't" or "never" repeated in a slightly too loud and rigid way. Remember when everyone "knew" that brain cells could "never" regenerate?
Lamarck ideas are nearly always advanced as a form of genetics denialism. Lysenkoism being the prime example.
Also how would any research done now rehabilitate Lamarck? He had no evidence for his hypothesis and his theory was incredibly vague. It's as if he had suggested a hypothesis of a carriage without horses and you were now willing to credit him with the invention of the automobile.
Lamarck is now remembered for the single idea that acquired traits can be inherited. When I say his name that's all I'm referring to. Similarly, Democritus is remembered for the idea of "atoms" despite having nothing to do with modern physics. This is just historical convention.
Ok, it's an old idea and that article is vague, but this is talking about something else. Read the summary and focus on what in the adult nervous system means.
"DNA methylation is a covalent chemical modification of DNA catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). DNA methylation is associated with transcriptional silencing and has been studied extensively as a lifelong molecular information storage mechanism put in place during development. Here we report that DNMT gene expression is upregulated in the adult rat hippocampus following contextual fear conditioning and that DNMT inhibition blocks memory formation. In addition, fear conditioning is associated with rapid methylation and transcriptional silencing of the memory suppressor gene PP1 and demethylation and transcriptional activation of the synaptic plasticity gene reelin, indicating both methyltransferase and demethylase activity during consolidation. DNMT inhibition prevents the PP1 methylation increase, resulting in aberrant transcription of the gene during the memory-consolidation period. These results demonstrate that DNA methylation is dynamically regulated in the adult nervous system and that this cellular mechanism is a crucial step in memory formation." (added italics)
PS: Sorry, if you where all just joking, but the summary is worth a read.
Of course memories are stored in dna -- the successes, failures, stops, starts etc of evolutionary history. I wish NS would kill these linkbait-style titles and stick to disseminating information...but I suppose they have bills like the rest of us...
