Tin Pot
Guru
[QUOTE 3882560, member: 9609"]Incredible behavioural instincts are passed through genetic code - take the Cuckoo, raised by maybe a Meadow Pipit or Dunnock, then knows how to migrate to the Congo.
but back to snakes - interesting (but very unethical study) here
http://www.universityherald.com/art...wired-in-the-brains-of-monkeys-and-humans.htm[/QUOTE]
Interesting, but doesn't refute either view - the study only examined one threatening stimuli, snakes. The responding neurons may or may not respond to other stimuli with similar characteristics - tentacles, spaghetti, etc. that would support my opinion that generic, not specific, fears have genetic influences.
It's a shame they only used stimuli of snakes, monkey faces/hands and geometric objects, but they were looking for evidence to support a theory that snakes had an influence on the evolution of high quality vision, not the causes of fear.
but back to snakes - interesting (but very unethical study) here
http://www.universityherald.com/art...wired-in-the-brains-of-monkeys-and-humans.htm[/QUOTE]
Interesting, but doesn't refute either view - the study only examined one threatening stimuli, snakes. The responding neurons may or may not respond to other stimuli with similar characteristics - tentacles, spaghetti, etc. that would support my opinion that generic, not specific, fears have genetic influences.
It's a shame they only used stimuli of snakes, monkey faces/hands and geometric objects, but they were looking for evidence to support a theory that snakes had an influence on the evolution of high quality vision, not the causes of fear.
