By Shivani DaveReporter, BBC News
14 May 2018
Memory transfer has been at the
heart of science fiction for decades, but it's becoming more like science fact.
A team successfully transplanted
memories by transferring a form of genetic information called RNA from one
snail into another.
The snails were trained to
develop a defensive reaction.
When the RNA was inserted into
snails that had not undergone this process, they behaved just as if they had
been sensitised.
The research, published in the
journal eNeuro, could provide new clues in the search for the physical basis of
memory.
RNA stands for ribonucleic acid;
it's a large molecule involved in various essential roles within biological
organisms - including the assembly of proteins and the way that genes are
expressed more generally.
The scientists gave mild electric
shocks to the tails of a species of marine snail called Aplysia
californica. After these shocks were administered. the snail's defensive
withdrawal reflex - where the snails contract in order to protect themselves
from harm.
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