Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of emotionally charged memories being passed from one generation to another. In a famous experiment, researchers administered uncomfortable electrical shocks to the feet of mice that were, at the same time, exposed to a powerful odor. The scientists observed that the offspring of these mice became extremely wary when they smelled this particular odor, even if they had never smelled it before in their lives. At first, scientists were unsure about the mechanism at play. They thought perhaps the parents of these mice had somehow taught them to
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