Scientists prove that the smell of fear can be inherited through genes and then passed down through two generations

Scientists prove that the smell of fear can be inherited through genes and then passed down through two generations Mice taught to fear smells pass this information to their offspring The fear apparently causes chemical changes in their sperm This then alters the brains of their children causing them to fear the smell Genetic: Mice taught to fear a certain smell pass this information on to their children through their sperm The smell of fear can be inherited genetically and can be passed on for two generations, scientists have proved. For the first time researchers at Emory School of Medicine in Georgia have shown that if mice are taught to fear a certain smell this triggers chemical changes in their sperm. This could completely change the way we think about conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress attacks have been shown to be triggered by smells, and scientists fear that soldiers could pass this information on to their children causing them to suffer The offspring were not more nervous generally, and only reacted to the same smell their parents had been taught to be wary of. Previous studies have shown that post-traumatic stress attacks can be brought on by particular smells and the fear is that soldiers could pass this fear on to their children, causing them to have similar attacks when they detect the same odor.