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We do too. It's called epigenetics.

mjfl 3y ago
but epigenetics usually stores information over much shorter timescales than generations. For example, cellular identity is stored epigenetically - whether a cell is a neuron or a white blood cell.
- dghughes 3y ago
  Study finds epigenetic changes in children of Holocaust survivors https://www.research.va.gov/currents/1016-3.cfm https://www.research.va.gov/currents/1016-3.cfm I often wonder if my Irish ancestors genes passed on trauma through my family to me. With 900 years of invasion, war, famine, and strife you'd think something like that would be passed on.
  - dotancohen 3y ago
    The Irish have always been the underdogs of history, like the Jews. Is there anything that you could recommend me to read about the Irish situation?
    - dghughes 3y ago
      I don't other than this list https://www.listmuse.com/greatest-irish-history-books.php https://www.listmuse.com/greatest-irish-history-books.php but I haven't got around to ordering or looking for them locally.
      - dotancohen 3y ago
        Thank you.
bohadi 3y ago
I think we will find more examples countering our modern idea of discrete organisms separated across generations. Consider again the glider translated across space time. Is it the same glider after 1,2,10 generations in time? I always found it curious the ancient archons had rulerships which kept continuity in nominative identity across individuals for several generations. The social practice continues with the first, the second, III, IV etc. The epigenetic view supports it.
- somenameforme 3y ago
  Then you get examples like Marcus Aurelius -> Commodus, betraying all genetic and epigenetic reason alike. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, except when it does.
pjscott 3y ago
Epigenetics is real, of course, but approximately nothing is passed between generations in humans. Here’s a good rundown from a geneticist: https://www.razibkhan.com/p/you-cant-take-it-with-you-straight https://www.razibkhan.com/p/you-cant-take-it-with-you-straig... The actual biological reality is fascinating, and so much more interesting than the distorted version you get from unscientific fabulists.
- pazimzadeh 3y ago
  Huh? The article is able to summarize in one sentence what he thinks epigenetics is not, but is not able to summarize what it actually is. The post is clearly designed to make the reader feel like they are smarter than some other tribe, who don't believe that observations have molecular underpinnings. The Post-it notes analogy is also highly inaccurate and adds nothing. Epigenetics is one way that cells have of turning on and off the genes that are expressed. The same way that you can 'comment' a piece of code out using some special flags. What is special about it is that it turns out that your mom's experience during pregnancy (and your experience during development) can affect which genes are turned on and off in your cells. The classic example of this is that children of starving mothers such as during the holocaust, or during other famines, often went on to be overweight, because they were conditioned to be in 'starvation mode' so the genes for uptake of nutrients were more turned on, or the genes for decreasing wastefulness were turned off. It doesn't take much imagination to see how some of these things could reinforce each other, or alternate, over multiple generations.

mjfl 3y ago

but epigenetics usually stores information over much shorter timescales than generations. For example, cellular identity is stored epigenetically - whether a cell is a neuron or a white blood cell.

dghughes 3y ago
Study finds epigenetic changes in children of Holocaust survivors https://www.research.va.gov/currents/1016-3.cfm https://www.research.va.gov/currents/1016-3.cfm I often wonder if my Irish ancestors genes passed on trauma through my family to me. With 900 years of invasion, war, famine, and strife you'd think something like that would be passed on.
- dotancohen 3y ago
  The Irish have always been the underdogs of history, like the Jews. Is there anything that you could recommend me to read about the Irish situation?
  - dghughes 3y ago
    I don't other than this list https://www.listmuse.com/greatest-irish-history-books.php https://www.listmuse.com/greatest-irish-history-books.php but I haven't got around to ordering or looking for them locally.
    - dotancohen 3y ago
      Thank you.

bohadi 3y ago

I think we will find more examples countering our modern idea of discrete organisms separated across generations. Consider again the glider translated across space time. Is it the same glider after 1,2,10 generations in time? I always found it curious the ancient archons had rulerships which kept continuity in nominative identity across individuals for several generations. The social practice continues with the first, the second, III, IV etc. The epigenetic view supports it.

somenameforme 3y ago
Then you get examples like Marcus Aurelius -> Commodus, betraying all genetic and epigenetic reason alike. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, except when it does.

pjscott 3y ago

Epigenetics is real, of course, but approximately nothing is passed between generations in humans. Here’s a good rundown from a geneticist: https://www.razibkhan.com/p/you-cant-take-it-with-you-straight https://www.razibkhan.com/p/you-cant-take-it-with-you-straig... The actual biological reality is fascinating, and so much more interesting than the distorted version you get from unscientific fabulists.

pazimzadeh 3y ago
Huh? The article is able to summarize in one sentence what he thinks epigenetics is not, but is not able to summarize what it actually is. The post is clearly designed to make the reader feel like they are smarter than some other tribe, who don't believe that observations have molecular underpinnings. The Post-it notes analogy is also highly inaccurate and adds nothing. Epigenetics is one way that cells have of turning on and off the genes that are expressed. The same way that you can 'comment' a piece of code out using some special flags. What is special about it is that it turns out that your mom's experience during pregnancy (and your experience during development) can affect which genes are turned on and off in your cells. The classic example of this is that children of starving mothers such as during the holocaust, or during other famines, often went on to be overweight, because they were conditioned to be in 'starvation mode' so the genes for uptake of nutrients were more turned on, or the genes for decreasing wastefulness were turned off. It doesn't take much imagination to see how some of these things could reinforce each other, or alternate, over multiple generations.