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From: hnewstrom@x102a.uucp (Newstrom Harvey S 96783)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Transfer of Instincts through Genetics
Message-ID: <1547@trantor.harris-atd.com>
Date: 23 Feb 89 02:52:22 GMT
References: <1681@uswat.UUCP>
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Reply-To: hnewstrom@x102a.UUCP (Newstrom Harvey S 96783)
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In article <1681@uswat.UUCP> timw@zeb.USWest.COM () writes:
>If we agree that an animal is born with certain instinctive 
>characteristics (do we agree on this ?, leave homo sapien out
>of the picture, whole 'nother topic ?),

I am not sure that instinct really exists.  (Don't flame me, I'm not
sure it doesn't, either!)  It may only be a behavior of which we simply
do not understand the origins.

An example would be the subject of bird migration.  It was thought to
be instinct that told the bird how to find its way back home because
it was felt that visual clues would not be possible.  Because we did
not understand how the bird found its way, we called it instinct.

We now know that birds can navigate using senses that we humans do not
have.  They can sense their way home about as easily as we can see
familiar landmarks to find our way around.  Now that we understand it,
this aspect of instinct is understood differently.  (Note that the
way a bird knows _w_h_e_n to migrate is a different question!)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
_H_a_r_v_e_y_ _N_e_w_s_t_r_o_m_ _(_h_n_e_w_s_t_r_o_m_@_x_1_0_2_a_._h_a_r_r_i_s_-_a_t_d_._c_o_m_)_ _(_u_u_n_e_t_!_x_1_0_2_a_!_h_n_e_w_s_t_r_o_m_)