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Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

quantamagazine.org

51–60 of 196 posts

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#51

assuming this is true, perhaps it's best to freeze sperm regularly with labels that way if you go off the deep end you can snapshot quite literally your best self? some possible times - right before college, right after college, after you meet someone you think you'd marry (but before you do), after marriage. seems like a neat premise for a sci fi novella.

I think trying to "tune" your kids in any way is asking to be disappointed. My three kids could not be more different and they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. If "microRNA" profiles have any influence, I would wager it's very small.

Well that’s just

> No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#52
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think trying to "tune" your kids in any way is asking to be disappointed. My three kids could not be more different and they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. If "microRNA" profiles have any influence, I would wager it's very small.

> they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. I’m pretty sure the first one didn’t have siblings, and the second only had one. Also their mother is not the same person after raising the first kid, or raising two. Parenting never have reproducible conditions.

Agree, those are some environmental differences. But any "microRNA" profile I might have contributed to the conception of each would be broadly similar. My life was pretty stable and levels of stress, diet, exercise, etc. were all about the same for all three.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Adding "jk" after a casual prejudiced insult to a demographic doesn't undo the prejudiced insult.

Which demographic was casually insulted here? The babies/third children?

We need to add birth order to federally protected categories lest the thirdies try something on us deserving firstborn.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#54
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think trying to "tune" your kids in any way is asking to be disappointed. My three kids could not be more different and they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. If "microRNA" profiles have any influence, I would wager it's very small.

> they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. I’m pretty sure the first one didn’t have siblings, and the second only had one. Also their mother is not the same person after raising the first kid, or raising two. Parenting never have reproducible conditions.

I agree with what you are saying but remember the twin scenario. Spoiler alert, the kids are nonetheless different.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#55

Lamarck has entered the chat

I think its interesting that in the "rationalist" latter half of the 20th century Freud began to be dismissed at least in part on account of his elective affinity with Lamarck; now, it is clear that certain environmental and social factors have an influence on offspring at the genomic level from both parents.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#56
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think trying to "tune" your kids in any way is asking to be disappointed. My three kids could not be more different and they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. If "microRNA" profiles have any influence, I would wager it's very small.

> they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. I’m pretty sure the first one didn’t have siblings, and the second only had one. Also their mother is not the same person after raising the first kid, or raising two. Parenting never have reproducible conditions.

I have twins (a boy and a girl) and you could tell they have a completely different temperament about two weeks after birth.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#57

Earlier this year moving home to Canada, instead of flying I bought a van in California and drove it back with all my stuff. I was taken aback to learn my dad did the exact same thing at my age!

Any particular reason for moving back to Canada ?

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#58

"researchers, including those spearheading the work, are cautious about overselling their results" Either it is correct; or it is not. Perhaps it is somewhat correct, but then it may not be fully correct, so it would contain wrong information. I write this here because science does not really work well when it is based on speculation. So this article is weird. It starts by speculating about something rather than anal…

> Either it is correct; or it is not. Perhaps it is somewhat correct, but then it may not be fully correct, so it would contain wrong information.

I don't understand your criticism.

It makes complete sense that the researchers are worried about the research being oversold. It's routine for media to take a scientific finding and grossly exaggerate its impact, i.e. "New research proves you can exercise your way to a fit child" or whatever.

This is science, we don't know if anything is "correct." The more compelling the research, the more we can adjust our priors as to what is "correct."

> There are examples of where theories were lateron shown to be wrong.

There are also lots of examples where theories were later not shown to be wrong. What's your point?

Do you have an actual, concrete criticism of the methodology of the epigentic research in TFA, or are your just bloviating?

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#59

assuming this is true, perhaps it's best to freeze sperm regularly with labels that way if you go off the deep end you can snapshot quite literally your best self? some possible times - right before college, right after college, after you meet someone you think you'd marry (but before you do), after marriage. seems like a neat premise for a sci fi novella.

I think trying to "tune" your kids in any way is asking to be disappointed. My three kids could not be more different and they all have the same mother, grew up in the same house, etc. If "microRNA" profiles have any influence, I would wager it's very small.

When expectations are bundled with trying, then yes disappointment is inevitable. Expectations are not a good reason to not try.

Re: Fathers’ choices may be packaged and passed down in sperm RNA

#60
post #24

> For instance, mouse fathers exposed to nicotine(opens a new tab) sire male pups with livers that are good at disarming not just nicotine but cocaine and other toxins as well. queue rationalist fathers microdosing nicotine patches before conception to give their kids the best chance at abusing drugs.

What does disarming mean here? I wound read it as “the drug has less effect” - so in that case you can better abuse these drugs if you are worse at “disarming” them I guess

I would have thought the main armament that nicotine has is its addictiveness
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