Jan Buellesbach

Evolutionary Biologist and Analytical Chemist. Lateral thinker. Life-long learner. Vagabond at heart. Scientist by heart. Shinzou wo Sasageyo!

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

A 10 year old child’s experiment demonstrated that memories can be inherited across generations.

The story started when Jo Nagai, a second grader from Kobe, Japan, observed that swallowtail butterflies he had raised by hand appeared to recognize him, whereas wild butterflies would flee.

Motivated to uncover a scientific explanation, he contacted Georgetown University entomologist Dr. Martha Weiss, who had previously shown that moths retain memories despite the extensive cellular reorganization during metamorphosis.

Encouraged by her research, Jo suggested conducting a similar study with butterflies. This led to a remarkable international collaboration. Using a simple setup created at home, Jo conditioned caterpillars to link a gentle vibration with the smell of lavender.

Remarkably, after their brains were entirely reconstructed inside the chrysalis, 70 percent of the adult butterflies still avoided the lavender scent, demonstrating that their memories had endured the transformation.

The most surprising result emerged when Jo bred these conditioned insects. Neither the offspring nor the grandchildren had ever encountered the vibration, yet both generations displayed an instinctive aversion to the lavender scent.

At the age of ten, Jo compiled his groundbreaking observations into a 33 page paper and presented them alongside Dr. Weiss at the International Congress of Entomology in Kobe. This discovery of transgenerational memory challenges conventional views of genetics and inheritance while illustrating how a child’s curiosity can push the frontiers of scientific understanding.

[Visegrád 24 @visegrad24]

Nobody is better at impersonating how presidents and PMs walk than Stefan Leonhardsberger.

His Macron, Johnson, Trudeau and Zelensky are all on point.

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

@Rike_Froeb Ah so.. 😬 Get well soon!

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

@Rike_Froeb You're allowed to go outside from quarantine in Norway?? 😯

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

@DrKEichhorn Sieht gut aus! Ist die "happy end" Version, falls du Ideen für etwas "darkere" Richtungen brauchst, hätte ich da so einige ;)

[Andreas Keller @AKellerGEW]

Läuft … 🥳 @gew_bund #IchBinHanna #Aktivenkonferenz #Dauerstellen für Daueraufgaben @SebastianKubon @LadyBitchRay1 @MRegulin @ant_scholkmann @DevilDoctoressa 👉 https://t.co/Lnfzzwa3qf

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

@ShaggySchrader This is indeed huge, thanks for sharing!

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Exactly how my calendar looks like every week 😂 hail the "flawless" German academic system! #IchBinHanna

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Finally, science and religion in agreement for once! 😉

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Thanks so much for sharing this Jacintha, you beat me to it :)

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

.. Well, everyone despite this one of course:

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Woo-hoo, that also means we're gonna see a lot more of Jim Carrey on SNL, so everyone wins!

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Yeah!!

[March For Science @MarchForScience]

Science walking back into the White House like

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

😂

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Everytime my Prof asks me to analyze something: https://t.co/nPezAibDfj

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

@neiltsutsui Wow, that's amazing! I'm thoroughly impressed you can juggle this as well ;)

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Finally, something GOOD about the European Union :)

[Nature Portfolio @NaturePortfolio]

Editorial: The value of an integrated EU for science hasn’t been lauded enough. https://t.co/z7iiYKZ3iC

[Jan Buellesbach @EvoChemCommLab]

Check out this nice article about the outreach activity of my former postdoc supervisor Neil Tsutsui and colleagues from his lab: https://t.co/jAdlvzRWOr