Does genetic memory is real thing???

[Pawelk198604]

Well I i buy Assassin Creed 2 and 3 , i played AC1 long time ago, and you probably already know about which i would talk now

 

They key concept of game is genetic memory of our ancestor, than we can relive thanks to Animus, but i wonder does this have any basis in real science? 

[AngelLestat]

I never play Assasin creed, but Genetic memory Is a real thing..
Some scientists found that mouses for example can imprint traumatic experiences in their genetics that carries through at least two generations. There are also other studies on different animals.

 

http://www.nature.com/news/fearful-memories-haunt-mouse-descendants-1.14272  

[RainDreamer]

Genetic memory is a real thing, but not like assassin creed. It is more similar to a kind of evolutionary reaction. The monarch butterflies in their migration apparently remembers their path through this type of memory, as a whole cycle of their migration would take about 5 generations. They also apparently remember a mountain that existed millennias ago, from what people can tell on their migration path. So in their past, there was a mountain in their way, and the butterflies that tries to scale the mountain perished, while the ones that travels around the sides of the mountain survive, and thus, this becomes an evolutionary advantage that get passed on to next generations. At least that is how I interpreted it.

Human *may* have sort of genetic memories, and those memories manifests as various form of phobias, and it *possibly* could have helped our ancestors surviving (avoiding certain dangerous stimuli). But other than that, I doubt we'll ever see something like the AC games with such specific memories saved directly to their DNA. There is no reason to encode so much information in there.

Of course, it *may* happen in the AC's world, considering that human in that world has part of DNA created by the first civilization and some of them, like Desmond, even have a very high concentration of the first civilization DNA, which make them rather unique and unlike human DNA.

[Just Jim]

genetic memory..... ever read Dune?

Seriously, I've never played Assassin Creed, but I think about this a lot.  This and re-incarnation, and whether something like that is possible.

Why?  Because I can paint and draw.... weird as that may sound.  I'm not amazing, but I've sold a lot of paintings, and I can draw pretty much anything I put my mind to.  I'm not trying to brag, just stating a fact.  I bring it up because I have no idea how I'm able to do it.  No-one ever taught me, I just know how to draw. I can visualize something in my head, twist and spin it around a bit, pick up a pencil or brush, and watch myself make it come alive.  And to me, it's so weird!!!

I've been told it's God's gift, but I can't accept that.  If there is a God, and I'm not saying I believe or not, I'm really not sure what to believe these days.... but assuming there is one, then why pick me?  I'm no one special.  I just don't buy it, it's too convenient.

But if here is something like re-incarnation, or genetic memory, then I can accept that.  I may be living proof, myself and everyone else that has some sort of talent or gift.  I know a guy that is so amazing with cars.... to me a car is a car, but he can listen to an engine and instantly tell you everything wrong with it.  And he's told me the exact same thing many times, it's not something he learned... he can just do it.

So is this actually something passed down from one of our ancestors genetically?  Was one of mine an artist, and my friends a gifted mechanic, and we're picking up on that these memories in some way, perhaps subconsciously??  It would make sense to me.... more than this just being a random chance.

 

[Pronoes]

I don't think being able to draw or paint is either a gift from god, or some semblance of genetic memory from an ancestor long passed. IMO, to be able to draw naturally is a "gift" but not in the traditional sense of god saying, "Here you are bruv, here's some mad skillz". It just means your brain is wired up a touch differently. Your spatial awareness and visual acuity is probably better than most people, while your hand-eye coordination is similarly elevated. Colour sensitivity is also probably heightened. All these things are simply neurons in a brain. The same way that someone may develop cancer out of the blue with no family history of it, or some gene may malfunction leading to a child being born with cerebral palsy, something may have malfunctioned giving you the mutation / gift of enhanced artistry abilities. I'd also extend that to say maybe 10's of thousands of children are born with your specific qualities, but environmental factors may have improved / 'activated' / expanded on what you already have. Maybe you had a kaleidoscope as a baby, or even something as direct as a paint set when you were younger. You may have had certain toy which improved hand-eye coordination, albeit learn through play subliminally, but little factors could shape your personality, skills and physical attributes. You would therefore happen to be the "one in a million" where all the right factors have converged, leaving you with the ability to paint and draw (well). 

I don't like the idea of genetic memory. It's a frightening concept for humanity's future. As we get lazier and lazier and our lives get easier and easier, the only genetic memory we'll be imprinting the children of the future with is one of lazy slobs that shun human interaction in favour of technological ones with a tendency to kill each other.

[kerbiloid]

DNA isn't a magnetic tape. It's just a matrix from which proteins are being printed, that's its only purpose. So, it can keep only proteins images, nothing more.

Butterflies and mountain: one million butterflies starts, hundred thousand finishes.
Who had selected a wrong way — doesn't survive.
Who (occasionally) had selected the correct way — survives.
All survivors selected the correct way.
Also: even if a million years ago there was a mountatin, the climate (and butterflies optimal path) has changed dozens of times.

[lajoswinkler]

There are certain things that can be called genetic memory, but actual memory, as in fantasy movies and games, no. Absolutely not.

[Just Jim]

22 hours ago, Pronoes said:

I don't think being able to draw or paint is either a gift from god, or some semblance of genetic memory from an ancestor long passed. IMO, to be able to draw naturally is a "gift" but not in the traditional sense of god saying, "Here you are bruv, here's some mad skillz". It just means your brain is wired up a touch differently. Your spatial awareness and visual acuity is probably better than most people, while your hand-eye coordination is similarly elevated. Colour sensitivity is also probably heightened. All these things are simply neurons in a brain. The same way that someone may develop cancer out of the blue with no family history of it, or some gene may malfunction leading to a child being born with cerebral palsy, something may have malfunctioned giving you the mutation / gift of enhanced artistry abilities. I'd also extend that to say maybe 10's of thousands of children are born with your specific qualities, but environmental factors may have improved / 'activated' / expanded on what you already have. Maybe you had a kaleidoscope as a baby, or even something as direct as a paint set when you were younger. You may have had certain toy which improved hand-eye coordination, albeit learn through play subliminally, but little factors could shape your personality, skills and physical attributes. You would therefore happen to be the "one in a million" where all the right factors have converged, leaving you with the ability to paint and draw (well). 

I don't like the idea of genetic memory. It's a frightening concept for humanity's future. As we get lazier and lazier and our lives get easier and easier, the only genetic memory we'll be imprinting the children of the future with is one of lazy slobs that shun human interaction in favour of technological ones with a tendency to kill each other.

Your most probably right, I was just speculating for the sake of the OP's question.  Most likely some folk just are wired to be say... a  Doctor, others to be athletic, or whatever....  random chance, yeah Darwin....
Who can say?  The only thing I know is, as weird and wonderful the universe is, we don't really know a fraction of what's really going on.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Just Jim