Eli5 : Does memory retain through processes like metamorphosis and if so, how?
In: Biology
There is [some evidence that butterflies and moths can retain memories](https://theconversation.com/despite-metamorphosis-moths-hold-on-to-memories-from-their-days-as-a-caterpillar-29859) from their caterpillar stages. The best explanation as far as I’m aware is that the caterpillars don’t *completely* dissolve as scientists once thought but instead parts of the brain (and probably some other stuff) remain intact throughout.
Apparently, for a long time, the accepted theory was that insects – brains and all – are completely rewired during metamorphosis.
A study performed on Tobacco hornworm moths, however, demonstrated that butterflies (or moths, in that case) DO remember some caterpillar experiences.
What they did was this: they exposed the caterpillars to an unpleasant, smelly substance (ethyl acetate, often used in jail polish remover), and then administered a series of mild electric shocks. Later, when the caterpillars had turned into larvae, they still remembered that “smell = pain = bad” and, when given the choice, avoided crawling up any corridors that smelled of ethyl acetate. Now the interesting discovery was that even after metamorphosis into moths a month later, 77% of the specimens still remembered their “lesson” and avoided the smell!
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