Barbara Harris's solution is simpler than anything else out there. JAD: You got your good parents and your bad parents. SAM KEAN: Darwin's theory would have said, you know, 90% of the toads are going to die. He said, "If you were a boy, and you starve between the ages of 9 and 12, and then you went on to become a father, then a grandfather, your grandkids". PAT: Have you ever had someone call or write you and say that they regret their decision? That's really impressive. By all accounts a pretty good-looking guy. CARL ZIMMER: They'd spend more time in the water. Started with the tongue. Not usually because it upsets people and I'm Canadian. It goes back to the 1800s. And um Doctors would later explain to Barbara that Destiny's mom had been addicted to drugs while she was pregnant. And at a certain point, I noticed over my shoulder Barbara's crouched down and she's got her phone out and she's taking a picture of this just perfect little scene. [ARCHIVAL Clip, News: Harris says her program, children requiring a caring community, or CRACK], [ARCHIVAL Clip, News: Can prevent thousands of unwanted births to drug-addicted women. Visit our website. ROBERT: And those lucky ones, according to Darwin's theory, they would have had to have been born with some random mutation in their genes SAM KEAN: That gave them an advantage in this situation. More brain cells? You dont really say it to yourself that way, but yeah. DESTINY HARRIS: Are you going to kick it? Yeah, it was a very attractive theory to them in Moscow. JAD: The sneaky idea here is that the blacksmiths, the giraffes, they made it happen. Baby, be careful. JAD: And at first, it didn't go so well because, you know, if you're a land toad and you're trying to have sex in the water, it's kind of hard. So he actually went to Vienna. PAT: In this magazine article, Barbara even said, quote, "We don't allow dogs to breed. It's against the rules. Females seem to hate laying eggs in the water, but is that the end of the story? And I packed up my stuff, it's pretty much done. Thats like, I mean, that seems like a thing that would be frightening. He's not just talking about toads anymore, he's gone way beyond toads. When they got another call from a social worker saying that same mother, Destiny's birth mother, had given birth to another child. PEJK MALINOVSKI: It says "registrera", register. The bit of DNA that will give this baby when it grows up the instincts to be nice to its baby, and lick that baby. The authoritative record of programming is the audio record. PAT: And I told Destiny I was thinking about this and asked her about it. PAT: She actually emailed me afterwards and adjusted that number down a couple hundred. All these chemicals racing by crashing into it, sticking, and one of the bits that gets covered up is that little bit that makes the proteins that create a maternal instinct. SAM KEAN: No, they did not have them on land. PAT: Because when a woman uses heroin while she's pregnant, the fetus gets hooked on it too. That the licking is changing the baby's DNA? So FRANCES CHAMPAGNE: So we start looking at maternal care. I mean, they didn't have porridge. SAM KEAN: Except he had one. ROBERT: Well, that's the good news, but unfortunately there is some bad news here. If the genes are the bottom floor, then this layer on top is sometimes called the epigenome and that thing can change based on your experiences. I guess retard. CARL ZIMMER: Lamarckism pretty much died there. And the incredible thing is, those marks stick around. So. To her, I matter. I'm Sam Kean's dad. And so, they just had to hold on for the entire winter. CARL ZIMMER: He was revealing it with experiments. Radio Lab: Into the Brain of a Liar March 6, 2008 We all lie once a day or so, according to most studies. LULU: Oh actually, real thing, before we go, Latif. Listen Jan 20, 2023 KARIN BORGKVIST LJUNG: Heart disease. He was mighty skeptical. I tell you what I'm going to do though. PAT: And even though they look basically nothing alike. So they can grab onto the female and hold tight while they're mating. CARL ZIMMER: At this really marvelous place called the Vivarium. I mean, the idea that they could be constrained by their DNA, that maybe one of us gave them a bit of DNA thats gonna hold them back? And again, Barbara thinks, "Come on, but if this little girl is here, she should be with her brother and sister. BARBARA HARRIS: I'm not saying that these women are dogs but they're not acting any more responsible than a dog in heat. I mean that's a different kind of odds, but its DESTINY HARRIS: Hi, this is Destiny Harris. And thats wrong [laughs].Thats not how it works. Who are they? Remind me this. Once a kid is born, their genetic fate is pretty much sealed. A little village? PAT: And she told Barbara, "There's something you need to know about this baby.". Never mind, you're stuck with small boobies." They willed the neck to get longer, the muscles to get bigger. ], [ARCHIVAL Clip, Daytime Talkshow: I'd like everybody to meet, please, Barbara Harris. People can't just will themselves into a more perfect form. CARL ZIMMER: You're now hearing Lamarck's name invoked these days because there are things beyond genes that we pass down to our children. It would be wrong to think that they represent all women who use drugs while they're pregnant. A couple of days later, I had already bonded with her so much, it was as if I gave birth to her. He thought it worked with humans, too. JAD: Is that a genetic hatred of whistling that I just had? Yes, no, okay, move on to the next cage, yes, no? So Barbara and her son got in the car and drove across town to the foster home where Destiny had been living for the past eight months. ], [ARCHIVAL CLIP, BARBARA HARRIS: Like you said, when you were in your addiction like she is], [ARCHIVAL CLIP, BARBARA HARRIS: I didn't say I'm God. OLOV BYGREN: Well, the DNA, the RNA, micro-RNAs, histone. I feel that they should all be sterilized. Were there any consequences? We actually sent our friend, Pejk Malinovski, to the archives in Stockholm to check it out. More of this particular protein. Just until they hatch and then 'til they go off. As a parent, you are a tiny blip in a very, very, long story. It means what if grandpa has a bad day? Its a terrible thought! ], [ARCHIVAL CLIP, Jad Abumrad: Yeah, lets read.]. Move on to the next cage, yes, no? Barbara started finding herself on panels with women who'd use drugs during their pregnancies. ", In other words, "Could I pay women who have drug problems to stop having babies?". That was nice. Well, lets not get too excited too fast because we have a story to tell and this tale leaves me a little queasy. He actually named his daughter Lacerta, which is a genus of lizard. Once a kid is born, their genetic fate is pretty much sealed. ", PAT: In other words, "Could I pay women who have drug problems to stop having babies?". Each stone represents a radioisotope by means of a. On the one hand, she says, immediately, cheques started arriving. JAD: I initially felt very hopeful and excited about this research because it seems to suggest that a body, one body can respond to an environment and change and be flexible in a way we didn't think was possible. ROBERT: So you think you can get deep down? KARIN BORGKVIST LJUNG: Yes, he was retarded. ROBERT: Or how much humidity it preferred. Its so good that it makes you not want to trash the house, you know what I mean? BARBARA HARRIS: And when I found out the bill didn't pass, I just thought, "I have to come up with something else. Inheritance Radiolab Podcast Genetics Homework Assignment Homework assignment on the Radiolab podcast 'Inheritance', developed for a college-level cell biology class. But the results are very clear. Who now works at Columbia University. They like to hang out in the water and the females like to lay eggs in the water. PEJK MALINOVSKI: He was an idiot. How was this woman allowed", BARBARA HARRIS: "To walk into the hospital and drop off a damaged baby and just walk away with no consequences?". JAD: How do those cycles perpetuate? This is Radiolab. MICHAEL MEANEY: Yeah, you can't touch that. There were four girls and Barbara and Destiny told me that a few years ago they found three of them and they all either were in college or had finished college. Okay, I'm here. In this episode, originally aired in 2012, we put nature and nurture on a collision course and discover how outside forces can find a way inside us, and change not just our hearts and minds, but the basic biological blueprint that we pass on to future generations.Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today. JAD: Now the Sweden story from our last segment left us both feeling a little strange. Full disclosure, she's Robert's sister's partner. More what kind of stuff? So she told me Barbara had another baby and Did we want it? ROBERT: I think what's weird here is that is that we started trying to make a difference in our children and now we're surprise attacked by our grandparents. They like to hang out in the water and the females like to lay eggs in the water. And when she had a baby. CARL ZIMMER: mouse or rat? He actually coined the word biology, too. Yeah. So heres the backstory. I had a little basketball for her. You know, just take a little peek for themselves, and every time SAM KEAN: Kammerer said no, they were his specimens. There was a newspaper called The Daily Express and they have these headlines that come out. Also, thanks to Carl Zimmer whose latest is Evolution: Making Sense of Life. ], I'm going to go out into the streets and offer addicted women money to use birth control. PAT: But a year later, the social worker called again. Suddenly you're marked. Move on to the next cage yes, no? She actually emailed me afterwards and adjusted that number down a couple hundred. Well, I guess I was thinking we could just start at the beginning. All rights reserved. It's against the rules. She'll be two in January. Transcripts and recorded audio may be available for many of the programs you hear on WNYC. He said, "If you were a boy, and you starve between the ages of 9 and 12, and then you went on to become a father, then a grandfather, your grandkids". JAD: Well, if a mother a rat mother licking her baby can have such a profound effect, basically change the expression of the genes in the baby, well that's hopeful. [foreign language]. You know, inside these cells, in the center, coiled up in little spools, is the DNA. Radiolab is supported in part by the National Science Foundation and by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, enhancing public understanding of science and technology in the modern world. Wow. And there were from the beginning. a rat mother licking her baby can have such a profound effect, basically change the expression of the genes in the baby, well that's hopeful. If you start smoking when you're 10, 11 something like that, you end up having children with more problems. And if you were eating a whole lot between 9 and 12, one-quarter. What you see in the records, is that one year 100 liters. You know, you've got all these chemicals around. Were told. She said, "Well, she's just beautiful and she has lips like a baby doll." JAD: Visited Kammerer's lab when Kammerer wasn't there. LATIF: And as of 11:01 a.m. on Tuesday, when were recording this, we have not broken the show. So its like grandpa's struggle is jumping forward and giving me a leg up? JAD: Because while you might have a lot of influence, you know, genetically speaking, over your kids and their kids, you don't seem to have a lot of control. Telling some genes to turn off now, other genes to turn on. Jean Baptiste Lamarck was a pioneer in the . PAT: All these women who have so many babies and never try to seek drug treatment. PAT: But were getting ahead of ourselves here. And right now, I'm student teaching. JAD: These were kids that didn't end up with Barbara? But, I said this to Lynn, "Despite all the things that trouble me about Barbara's program, I feel like what she's trying to do is to stop a kid from getting born into a childhood that's going to suck.". Radiolab Society & Culture Science Latest Transcripts What Up Holmes? Yes. ], [ARCHIVAL CLIP, BARBARA HARRIS: Probably racist.]. This was a really radical place at the time because you have to remember that people studying animals up till now, they were basically studying preserved specimens, and so on. They lived longer lives, something like 30 years on average. I mean that's a different kind of odds, but its Our staff includes Alan Horn, Soren Wheeler, Pat Walters With help from Matt Kielty, Chris [unintelligible 01:04:17], Special thanks to Martin [unintelligible 01:04:21], Copyright 2022 New York Public Radio. And the incredible thing is, those marks stick around. PAT: So by now it's 1994, and Barbara is thinking PAT: You know? That's 9, 10, 11. Filled with dozens of letters from women that she's paid. So for Isaiah, being born was like just being cut off. These women don't just have one and two babies. LYNN PALTROW: The women who I've worked with, who've had a history of drug problems, aren't like the examples that she gives. I just have to read this to you. And it just so happens this town is a perfect place to dig. Instead of dying at 40, I'd live to 70? BARBARA HARRIS: Sounds bizarre, but it's a solution. MICHAEL MEANEY: Kick off certain hormonal systems. In this episode, originally aired in 2012,we put nature and nurture on a collision course and discover how outside forces can find a way inside us, and change not just our hearts and minds, but the basic biological blueprint that we pass on to future generations.Support Radiolab by becoming a member ofThe Labtoday. Anyhow, so you got this guy, Paul Kammerer, who's good with animals. She was totally an oops kid. You can't see that on the radio but, hey, it's a fact of life. PAT: Destiny says one day, she and her mom were in the car, and her mom said DESTINY HARRIS: She said, "I don't know, you know, maybe they'll grow bigger? ROBERT: That's interesting. I'm so proud and I have four years clean. In any case, these books tell you when each of these folks died, how they died. SAM KEAN: In a little community called verkalix. MICHAEL MEANEY: Yep, Im a professor in the faculty of medicine at McGill University in Montreal. A lot of times that's not the case. Completely answer all questions in Section I AND Section IV. Professional authors can write an essay in 3 hours, if there is a certain volume, but it must be borne in mind that with such a service the price will be the highest. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. The bit of DNA that will give this baby when it grows up the instincts to be nice to its baby, and lick that baby. ROBERT: And that advantage, whatever it was, because it starts with one individual, and then it gets passed onto the kids, and then onto their kids, it would take a long, long, long time to spread through the whole population because, generally, that's how evolution works. Once their born, their genes are fixed and change does not happen in a generation or two. DESTINY HARRIS: Yes. A really good radiolab about this called Inheritance. I got to say this is spooky. But according to Kammerer, here's what happened when he heated up the toads little cage. She's 22 now and she's never even met her birth mom. And that number, by the way, has grown a lot. So that was just funny to me. He had one remaining midwife toad. Which, when you think about it, it has a very Lamarckian flavor. CARL ZIMMER: He's 22, 23, and he already had this reputation for being amazing at keeping animals alive, that otherwise would just die. At the Vivarium, as the name suggests, they have live animals. From pneumonia. Okay, and then I just had to accept it. Radiolab is on a curiosity bender. SAM KEAN: It does, it does make kind of a folk sense. PEJK MALINOVSKI: It's not very politically correct, huh? She said, "Well, she's just beautiful and she has lips like a baby doll." Like, mine are bigger, you know." Are you nine? BARBARA HARRIS: Yes, she has the same name as me. ROBERT: And there were from the beginning. Here, Kammerer's was saying, "You can do this even on a physical level.". Its something I still think about all the time. PAT: Like shed give the women a choice. But then, a few years would pass, crops would bounce back. All of our writers are dedicated to their job and do their best to produce all types of academic papers of superior quality. I mean, yes, I might get a great family, but I might not. Who are you? ], What's the worst thing you have been called by one of your critics?]. So, in the end, where do you come down on this? And again, Barbara thinks, "Come on, but if this little girl is here, she should be with her brother and sister. Plus, find other cool things we did in the past like miniseries, music videos, short films and animations, behind-the-scenes features, Radiolab live shows, and more. PAT: If Barbara had gotten to Destiny's birth mom, Destiny, Kalia, this moment, none of it would exist. BARBARA HARRIS: This is 750 and this is 200. I wont say too much more except it includes one of my favorite kind of scientific parables that like Ive ever heard. She did. ROBERT: Kammerer, for one, was sent off to work as a sensor for the Austrian military. And in 1989, when the story we're telling now started, she was living in California, in Orange County. Okay, so lets get going and stick with your boy, Lamarck, just for a sec. When Kammerer published his results initially, a bunch of scientists immediately began to say CARL ZIMMER: "Wait a minute, hold on here, it would be nice if life was like that but life isn't like that. I wonder. It's a little odd, actually. She was thinking Can I offer these women money to use birth control? And well just let the old yahoos from whom we inheritedededed inherited it take it away. Yeah, there you go. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today. Because he couldn't hold formula down. Wait, when you say they can choose to be sterilized, you mean permanent? BARBARA HARRIS: And I knew that the only way I was going to get a daughter was if I went and became a foster parent and asked for one. If they see methyl groups sitting on that bit of DNA, they are pissed. JAD: And thats wrong [laughs].Thats not how it works. PAT: Isaiah's in college and Taylor and Brandon, I met them at Barbara's house and they seemed to be fine. And if you were eating a whole lot between 9 and 12, one-quarter. PAT: And in 1989, when the story we're telling now started, she was living in California, in Orange County. He thought it worked with humans, too. SAM KEAN: And so, they just had to hold on for the entire winter. ROBERT: It's a little odd, actually. One parent stretching isnt going to do anything, see thats the bummer of Darwinian evolution. like they could be whistling six tables over in a restaurant and he would turn around and be like, "Stop that," it was like it was scraping his very nerves. And eventually, over the millenia, what youd get, is a creature with a very long neck. JAD: Its an idea thats been kicking around for me since my kids were born. And so, you could only see one nuptial pad, and it all comes down to thisand all of that was just about to fall apart. And well just let the old yahoos from whom we inheritedededed inherited it take it away. SAM KEAN: The sperm carries these marks to the next generation. ROBERT: A few years later, there'd be a harsh winter. Well, this is it! Catch up with new episodes and hear classics from our archive. ROBERT: So, the thought is, when those little boys in verkalix were really, really hungry, their hunger started a chemical process that reached all the way down to the DNA inside the boy's sperm. PAT: That's a lot of people. ROBERT: [laughs] We now know that thats not the case. Thank you so much for your interest in Radiolab. Who are you? So we did stop. You're slippery, partner's slippery. His famous example was giraffes. MICHAEL MEANEY: Known as transcription factors. So here's what you're going to notice. Maybe more. DESTINY HARRIS: To her, I matter. ROBERT: You mean, if you had a starving grandfather, you would be a healthier boy for the because you had a starving grandfather? BARBARA HARRIS: Because he couldn't hold formula down. That's it. Or does it get passed on such a deep level that doesn't even require teaching? Then choose either Section II OR Section III and answer all questions in that . Kick off certain hormonal systems. 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