Mice Inherit the Fears of Their Fathers

November 21 2013

Dias trained mice to fear acetophenone — which, according to this chemist, smells “like orange blossom with a bit of artificial cherry” — over three days, then waited 10 days and allowed the animals to mate. The offspring (known as the F1 generation) show an increased startle to acetophenone (with no shock) even though they have never encountered the smell before. And their reaction is specific: They do not startle to a different odor, propanol (which smells like alcohol). What’s more, the researchers found the same thing in the F1 generation’s offspring (known as F2).

From Red Ice Creations