Science & Technology
Fear of spiders can develop before birth
By
T.K. RandallFebruary 19, 2010 ·
10 comments
Image Credit: sxc.hu
Scientists now think that a fear of spiders and snakes may develop before a person is born due to the mother's experiences.
Experiments conducted using crickets showed that those whose mothers were exposed to a big spider before giving birth were far more likely to run for shelter when exposed to a spider themselves.
Scientists figure humans may be born with a fear of spiders and snakes, healthy phobias that up the odds of survival in the wild. It's not known how such an inborn fear might develop, however. Now researchers have proven that unborn crickets can gain a fear of spiders based on their mother's harrowing experiences.
Source:
Live Science |
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