Inherited Learning? It Happens, but How Is Uncertain

Inherited Learning? It Happens, but How Is Uncertain

As a biological concept, the inheritance of acquired characteristics has had a wild roller coaster ride over the past two centuries. Championed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck at the beginning of the 19th century, it soared to widespread popularity as a theory of inheritance and an explanation for evolution, enduring even after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. Then experimental tests, the rise of Mendelian genetics, and the wealth of discoveries substantiating chromosomal DNA as the principal medium of genetic information in complex organisms all but buried the idea until the mid-20th century. Since then, the theory has found at least a limited new respectability with the rise of “epigenetics” (literally, around or on top of genetics) as an explanation for some inherited traits.

Most recently, some researchers have found evidence that even some learned behaviors and physiological responses can be epigenetically inherited. None of the new studies fully address exactly how information learned or acquired in the somatic tissues is communicated and incorporated into the germline. But mechanisms centering around small RNA molecules and forms of hormonal communication are actively being investigated.

The Breakfast Economy

The Breakfast Economy

For much of history, breakfast existed in the shadows. While beautifully preserved cookbooks and food histories tell us about lavish meal productions in ancient times, this simple morning meal has often been overlooked in the annals of history. But we’ve clearly been eating something for a morning meal. From an etymological perspective, the English word “breakfast” is derived from the French disd?jeuner, which in turn comes from the Latin disieiunare meaning “un-fast.” Disd?jeuner was contracted in the 11th-century to disner and became the English “dinner.” The usage of “dinner” coincided with a shift of the main meal of the day from midday to evening. The French d?jeuner became the midday meal (lunch), and other languages followed suit, relegating the early morning meal to a petit d?jeuner--literally a small lunch. It is almost as if from a linguistic perspective we were looking to intentionally de-emphasize the significance of a morning meal by making it a variation of an existing one.

Next Time – Tuesday March 2

Today’s sunrise was at 6:28 am. The next time the sun will rise later then today πŸŒ„ is in 12 days on Sunday, March 14.

The average high for today is 39 degrees. 🌑 The next time it will be on average cooler then today is in 281 days on Wednesday, December 8 when the average temperature will be 38 degrees.

The highest point for the sun today will be 40.3° from the horizon at 12:08 pm. 🌞 The next time the sun will be lower in the sky mid-day is in 223 days on Monday, October 11.

Today has 11 hours and 1 minute of daylight. ⏳ The next time the day will be shorter then today is in 223 days on Monday, October 11.

Today’s sunset will be at 5:46 pm. The next time the sun will set earlier then today πŸŒ† is in 246 days on Wednesday, November 3.

The average low for today is 21 degrees. 🌑 The next night it will be on average cooler then tonight is in 291 days on Saturday, December 18 when the average temperature will be 20 degrees.

More Results of Controlled Burn

Atlantic currents seem to have started fading last century | Ars Technica

Atlantic currents seem to have started fading last century | Ars Technica

The major currents in the Atlantic Ocean help control the climate by moving warm surface waters north and south from the equator, with colder deep water pushing back toward the equator from the poles. The presence of that warm surface water plays a key role in moderating the climate in the North Atlantic, giving places like the UK a far more moderate climate than its location—the equivalent of northern Ontario—would otherwise dictate.

But the temperature differences that drive that flow are expected to fade as our climate continues to warm. A bit over a decade ago, measurements of the currents seemed to be indicating that temperatures were dropping, suggesting that we might be seeing these predictions come to pass. But a few years later, it became clear that there was just too much year-to-year variation for us to tell.

Can Experiences Leave A Biological Imprint?

The more Legacy of Trauma: Can Experiences Leave A Biological Imprint?

2/25/21 by NPR

Web player: https://podcastaddict.com/episode/119615576
Episode: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510351/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/dailyscience/2021/02/20210225_dailyscience_sci_pod_-_epigenetics_-_final_mix_w__xpromo.mp3?awCollectionId=510351&awEpisodeId=947232031&orgId=1&topicId=1007&d=662&p=510351&story=947232031&t=podcast&e=947232031&size=10582626&ft=pod&f=510351

Descendants of trauma victims seem to have worse health outcomes. Could epigenetics explain why? Bianca Jones Marlin and Brian Dias walk us through the field of epigenetics and its potential implications in trauma inheritance.