Scientists Just Transferred Memories... Between Sea Slugs

Scientists were able to transfer a specific memory from one sea slug to another! And research suggests that focusing on your breathing could help you focus on other things as well!

Thumbnail Credit: Bédécarrats et al., eNeuro (2018)

Hosted by: Stefan Chin

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[Kassidar]

This sea slug case sounds like the same situation as the mice who were played a note before being shocked. After hearing the note they would freeze up in anticipation of being shocked. And that anticipation response was also observed in their offspring. In both cases these are less like "episodic memories" and more like environmental reflexes.

[luthfikun]

So scientists, touchy touchy with slug, bam, new knowledge.

[hustlehank]

Now we just need to erase memories of crimes

[DemonEyes]

SciShow you are better than this. You should have at least pointed out that various number of ways this isn't likely any sort of memory but rather the transfer of a conditioned response due to gene expression.

[ContainsAthroughZ]

How do we know the sea slugs weren't staying in longer as a response to getting an injection? Shouldn't this same test be performed with a non-rna non-reactive substitute to see what happens?

[gymnasticstwins]

I loved this video so much! I love SciShow in general but this video was awesome. I learned more about science in this video than my teacher could teach us in school 👏🏼 👏🏼

[KevOSMusic]

That sounds so much like singing. It's incredible how focus improves in choirs with good breathing technique.

[BroWithTheFro]

Thank you so much SciShow for talking a lot about meditation and its power!

[patstaysuckafreeboss]

Scientist: So seaslug, do you remember anything?

Seaslug:

Scientist: Oh my god what have we done

[matrinoxtm]

I love that you guys always frame studies with its reliability, like saying that the study is the first of its kind so take it with a grain of salt. The one thing you guys can do to be more neutral is to not suggest to follow the conclusions of the study, even with a “maybe”. Some may take that as “this will probably work” vs. “it’s a theory in its infancy.”

[anangoons]

The thing about breathing and focus is AMAZINGLY COOL as someone who has ADD. In addition to medication, this might be insanely helpful to remember next time I feel all foggy in the noggin. Take few minutes to do some controlled breathing and nudge my brain to make those helpful chemicals
!!!! Keep up the great work guys!

[firstlast]

Or the sea slug just said "oh crap I just got stabbed, now I have trust issues"

[TheBronyCraft]

How much more longer until we can harvest these slugs so i can shoot bees from my arms?

[cruggs]

are we going to build a city at the bottom of the sea and start harvesting ADAM now?

[VulcanXIV]

I'll definitely apply this controlled breathing in preparation of returning to college :( half a minute of giving my brain a break and the lecture would be over my head

[emmasauls]

scientist: what do you remember

slug:

scientist: oh my god what have we done

[zoofan]

Great video scishow get your rna ready everyone

[grublord]

i was just looking for any documentaries on sea slugs and i found this??? hell yeah

[squamish]

I have some memories I wouldn't mind offloading onto someone else, preferably someone I don't like...

[mainjockeynumbaone]

Very interesting. In "The Dragons of Eden", Carl Sagan elucidated the idea that memories could be stored as RNA within the neuron. It's as if the DNA holds the memories of the survivors of the past, and when a young being is born it is encoded as RNA within the new neurons, giving rise to ancestral memory and instincts.