Arcadia Discussion Zone

I so agree with you Sheila

that is the Holy Grail in a way

Body and Blood

all DNA
Research into the nature of DNA has revealed that this material within each cell of our bodies has important implications for who each one of us is, on many levels.

In addition to determining our physical characteristics, our vulnerabilities to certain diseases, and maybe even our personality, is it possible that the DNA helix holds some of the important memories of our ancestors?

Theories that suggest that we can tap into the deep nature of DNA to uncover ancient memories are not new.

In the 1960s, some psychological researchers claimed that there may be keys that unlock our DNA, revealing experiences of generations of our relatives who lived long before our present time.


and that is why Bloodlines are important

Phylogenetic memory, not conscious memory. Genetic code is fixed; consciousness is subject to conditioning.



I think you would need neurobiologists to concur to give that idea any credibility (which I don't think any actually have).

TCP

Experiments in mice suggest that patterns of chemical "caps" on our DNA may be responsible for preserving such memories.
Courtney Miller and David Sweatt of the University of Alabama in Birmingham say that long-term memories may be preserved by a process called DNA methylation - the addition of chemical caps called methyl groups onto our DNA.
heres the article
http://crystalinks.com/dnaencodedmemories.html

We think we're seeing short-term memories forming in the hippocampus and slowly turning into long-term memories in the cortex," says Miller, who presented the results last week at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC.

"The cool idea here is that the brain could be borrowing a form of cellular memory from developmental biology to use for what we think of as memory," says Marcelo Wood, who researches long-term memory at the University of California, Irvine.

Its an interesting theory

TCP Quote


I'm not so sure Genetic code is fixed
where is your proof of that
since Genes can mutate...Cancer is one example

For example, if a calico cat is cloned, the clone will not look physically identical, despite the fact that their genetic code is the same. This is because the expression of genes is influenced by epigenetics.

The British scientist Richard Dawkins coined the word "meme" in The Selfish Gene (1976

s a concept for discussion of evolutionary principles in explaining the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. Examples of memes given in the book included melodies, catch-phrases, beliefs (notably religious beliefs), clothing fashion, and the technology of building arches.


Meme-theorists contend that memes evolve by natural selection (in a manner analogous to that of biological evolution) through the processes of variation, mutation, competition, and inheritance influencing an individual meme's reproductive success. Memes spread through the behaviors that they generate in their hosts. Memes that propagate less prolifically may become extinct, while others may survive, spread, and (for better or for worse) mutate. Theorists point out that memes which replicate the most effectively spread best, and some memes may replicate effectively even when they prove detrimental to the welfare of their hosts.[6]

A field of study called memetics arose in the 1990s to explore the concepts and transmission of memes in terms of an evolutionary model.


Historically, the notion of a unit of social evolution, and a similar term (from Greek mneme, “memory”), first appeared in 1904 in a work by the German Lamarckist biologist Richard Semon titled Die Mnemischen Empfindungen in ihren Beziehungen zu den Originalempfindungen (loosely translatable as “Memory-feelings in relation to original feelings”). According to the OED, the word mneme appears in English in 1921 in L. Simon's translation of Semon's book: The Mneme.[8]

Laurent noted the use of the term mneme in Maurice Maeterlinck's The Life of the White Ant (1926), and has highlighted similarities to Dawkins' concept.

Dawkins likened the process by which memes survive and change through the evolution of culture to the natural selection of genes in biological evolution
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

We haven't figured out everything about DNA yet

there is also the God gene
According to this hypothesis, the God gene (VMAT2) is a physiological arrangement that produces the sensations associated, by some, with mystic experiences, including the presence of God or others, or more specifically spirituality as a state of mind (i.e. it does not encode or cause belief in God itself in spite of the "God gene" moniker).

Based on research by psychologist Robert Cloninger, this tendency toward spirituality is quantified by the self-transcendence scale, which is composed of three sub-sets: "self-forgetfulness" (as in the tendency to become totally absorbed in some activity, such as reading); "transpersonal identification" (a feeling of connectedness to a larger universe); and "mysticism" (an openness to believe things not literally provable, such as ESP). Cloninger suggests that taken together, these measurements are a reasonable way to quantify (make measurable) how spiritual someone is feeling.

The self-transcendence measure was shown to be heritable by classical twin studies conducted by Lindon Eaves and Nicholas Martin. Interestingly, these studies show that specific religious beliefs (such as belief in Jesus) have no genetic basis and are instead based on purely cultural or informative transmission.

In order to identify some of the specific genes involved in self-transcendence, Hamer analyzed DNA and personality score data from over 1000 individuals and identified one particular locus, VMAT2, with a significant correlation. VMAT2 codes for a vesicular monoamine transporter that plays a key role in regulating the levels of the brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These monoamine transmitters are in turn postulated to play an important role in regulating the brain activities associated with mystic beliefs.

What evolutionary advantage this may convey, or what advantageous effect it is a side effect of, are questions that are yet to be fully explored. However, Dr. Hamer has hypothesized that self-transcendence makes people more optimistic, which makes them healthier and likely to have more children.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_gene

Yes, however Miller and Sweatt have shown that methylation affects genetic activity, not genetic composition. Their research involves methylation as it regulates memory formation by conditioning. In no way does their theory posit that actual conscious memories are passed down in genetic material through generations like snapshots - although there are several in the New Age community who are doing their level best to argue that this is exactly what Miller and Sweatt's experiments have "proven" - not the case at all.



The key terms here are "cellular memory".



Sure, mutations can occur, but not all mutations become hereditary. Genetic variation in humans occurs in only .1% of the human genome; 99.9% is identical among all humans; that's what I meant by "fixed".



True, but Dawkins applies this term to cultural evolution, not genetic.



Exactly. Likens the processes. A comparison, not an assertion of being one and the same.



Of course not. But we know what it's principal function is, which is to create and replenish proteins. DNA is not our brains.

A good analogy I came across: if we consider the function of DNA in terms of building a house, DNA is not the blueprint for building the house, but rather for making the bricks and mortar.

TCP

The God gene hypothesis proposes that human beings inherit a set of genes that predisposes them towards spiritual or mystic experiences. The idea has been postulated by geneticist Dean Hamer, the director of the Gene Structure and Regulation Unit at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, who has written a book on the subject titled, The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes.

The God gene hypothesis is based on a combination of behavioral genetic, neurobiological and psychological studies. The major arguments of the theory are: (1) spirituality can be quantified by psychometric measurements; (2) the underlying tendency to spirituality is partially heritable; (3) part of this heritability can be attributed to the gene VMAT2[1]; (4) this gene acts by altering monoamine levels; and (5) spirituality arises in a population because spiritual individuals are favored by natural selection.

A number of scientists and researchers are highly critical of this theory; Carl Zimmer, writing in Scientific American, questions why "Hamer rushed into print with this book before publishing his results in a credible scientific journal."[2] In his book, Hamer backs away from the title and main hypotheses by saying "Just because spirituality is partly genetic doesn't mean it is hardwired."

it has its Pros and its Cons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_gene

According to this hypothesis, the God gene (VMAT2) is a physiological arrangement that produces the sensations associated, by some, with mystic experiences, including the presence of God or others, or more specifically spirituality as a state of mind (i.e. it does not encode or cause belief in God itself in spite of the "God gene" moniker).

Based on research by psychologist Robert Cloninger, this tendency toward spirituality is quantified by the self-transcendence scale, which is composed of three sub-sets: "self-forgetfulness" (as in the tendency to become totally absorbed in some activity, such as reading); "transpersonal identification" (a feeling of connectedness to a larger universe); and "mysticism" (an openness to believe things not literally provable, such as ESP). Cloninger suggests that taken together, these measurements are a reasonable way to quantify (make measurable) how spiritual someone is feeling.

TCP...I know what side you are on
we can play God by now creating crops and animals

Genetic Modified

Now Blood is interesting

Judaism

In Judaism, blood cannot be consumed even in the smallest quantity (Leviticus 3:17 and elsewhere); this is reflected in Jewish dietary laws (Kashrut). Blood is purged from meat by salting and soaking in water.

Another ritual involving blood involves the covering of the blood of fowl and game after slaughtering (Leviticus 17:13); the reason given by the Torah is: "Because the life of the animal is [in] its blood" (ibid 17:14).

Also if a person of the orthodox Jewish faith suffers a violent death, religious laws order the collection of their blood for burial with them.

Blood is life
DNA is life


I think Ratzinger made a good point
has man crossed through the Garden of Eden ...and started creating his own world

I always find creating life for profit ends very badly...

But back to Steve's Twi;ight language
maybe we are using that mystical highway that is placed in the God gene

.

I believe Lilly was right. I like what he wrote.

He could talk to dolphins, couldn't he?
There was just something wrong with him when he flew to Washington D.C. to convince Mr. President to start a peace program and withdraw the U.S. troops who are scatterred all over this Lonely Planet. Poor Mr. Lilly spent 6 weeks in a mental hospital until his wife finally succeeded in getting him out.
That's what happens when you are a scientist and want to initiate a peace plan.


Anything we believe to be true is true, or becomes true ... did you know that John Lennon always had been afraid of getting shot? People around him took it as a neurosis or paranoia.
And Mr. Lennon could be 70 by now ... but his ANGST became (negativ charged) believing became faith.

.

Wow Whoop John
well said!

Did you all see the latest experiments
in Psychology Today
In Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, the White Queen tells Alice that in her land, "memory works both ways." Not only can the Queen remember things from the past, but she also remembers "things that happened the week after next." Alice attempts to argue with the Queen, stating "I'm sure mine only works one way...I can't remember things before they happen." The Queen replies, "It's a poor sort of memory that only works backwards."

How much better would our lives be if we could live in the White Queen's kingdom, where ours memory would work backwards and forewords? For instance, in such a world, you could take an exam and then study for it afterwards to make sure you performed well in the past. Well, the good news is that according to a recent series of scientific studies by Daryl Bem, you already live in that world!


Dr. Bem, a social psychologist at Cornell University, conducted a series of studies that will soon be published in one of the most prestigious psychology journals (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology). Across nine experiments, Bem examined the idea that our brain has the ability to not only reflect on past experiences, but also anticipate future experiences. This ability for the brain to "see into the future" is often referred to as psi phenomena.


Einstein believed that the mere act of observing something here could affect something there, a phenomenon he called "spooky action at a distance."


The observer is a interesting and magical role

So although humans perceive time as linear, it doesn't necessarily mean it is so.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-social-thinker/201010/have-scientists-finally-discovered-evidence-psychic-phenomena?page=2

perhaps "our" experience of "reality" is just a means to get "us" to do the processes were are meant to, no learning, no evolving - just get on with our jobs much like a bunch of white blood cells in my body now. I suppose the "love" bit would be important, I'd certainly want my white blood cells doing things for my benefit.



are we the mutated genes (cancer) of our body (earth)?

Creation is God exploring God's Self through every way imaginable, in an ongoing, infinite exploration through every one of us. Through every piece of hair on your head, through every leaf on every tree, through every atom.

We/DNA are God and we are exploring ourselves/God's Self, we are the great "I am".

Someone once wrote an interesting analogy of all matter in creation functioning as the body of God, in the same way that our bodies are composed of atoms. "As above, so below", I suppose.

TCP

I like that.

When I read The Bible, this is the message that I think comes across, it is just in parables etc. So we are on the same wavelength so to speak Sheila.
Regards
Nic

Exodus 20:1-3: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

Psalm 82:6: "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

Psalm 86:8: "Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works."

Exodus 22:28: "Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people."

1 Corinthians 8:4-6: "As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

John 10:34: "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?"

TCP

Fair point Tim,
I should have said the New Testament, and yes I have seen your quote from John. I haven't got time this minute, but I'll grab The Book and have a quick look to post which parts it was. I'm not well versed enough to quote the Bible directly, but isn't there a bit where Jesus states that we are all the sons of God?
Anyway thanks for clarifying my post.
Regards
Nic

Yes, in John chapter 10. The Jews (Pharisees, I'm assuming) are about to stone Jesus for blasphemy in daring to call himself a god and he threw the "I said you are gods" verse at them - i.e. if God said so, then who are they to deny it?

I like these quotes because they reveal the monolatrism inherent in early Judaism.

TCP

Understood. Quite a retort from JC
I had to look up Monolatrism, Monotheism yes, but thats a new one on me

http://custardy.blogspot.com/2009/08/mo ... trism.html
Regards
Nic

Yes, monolatrism is an outgrowth of henotheism, which is equatable (at least in my view, others may disagree) to ancient tribal affiliations and rivalries (i.e. "our god can kick your god's butt"). The numerous Biblical references point to the establishment of monotheistic Judaism as a process developed over time, though still inherently tribal ("the God of Israel"), while Christianity took monotheism out of the tribal mindset and made itself universal by taking the notion of inferior gods of other cultures to the next level - that they don't exist at all. But they didn't succeed in eradicating them completely, they simply recast them as demons.

TCP

Thanx, Elohim. I appreciate that.

You're welcome, Shiva.

TCP