Is there any proof of genetic memory- ie memorys of the parents being passed to their offspring?

Answer 1

sort of. it's important not to get too mystical about it - it is not 'memory' as such, more like pre-wired instinctive behaviours. your genes won't tell you what your mother was thinking.

"Peptide signals play a role in information processing that is different to that of conventional neurotransmitters, and many appear to be particularly associated with specific behaviors. For example, oxytocin and vasopressin have striking and specific effects on social behaviors, including maternal behavior and pair bonding."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropeptide

an early example was the identification of a protein for dark avoidance:

http://www.asa3.org/archive/evolution/199811/0003.html

Answer 2

There was this awesome study done a long time ago where these organisms called planaria were taught to go through a maze to get food. The scientists then ground up those planaria and fed them to new planaria and then let them go through the maze. The new planaria went through the maze easily, making the scientists believe that memories were stored in RNA or something transferable. It turns out that they instead hadn't cleaned the mazes out properly and the new planaria were able to follow the scent.

So no. I don't think any evidence exists. I just think the story is funny.

However, there are a lot of innate behaviors like spiders knowing how to make webs without having been taught that is sort of like a genetically passed down memory.

Answer 3

There is no proof in humans, only antecdotes.

It would be very difficult to prove something like this scientifically.

If you mean in all creatures, it would depend on your definitio of "genetic memory". Some creatures don't nurture their young, and yet their young know how to survive, and know (in general) what dangers to avoid. This is commonly known as "instinct".

Answer 4

Nope. No mechanism for it has been proposed.

Answer 5

no