Every animal that is born already knows some basic stuff instinctively. How? I often read that this is genetic. But how is that stored in genes?
In: Biology
Well, the short answer is we don’t fully know yet, because it’s quite complicated. Instinctual behavior is usually the result of many, many different genes working together in harmony to cause a certain action. So there isnt a single gene that is responsible, for example, the instinctual behavior of birds migrating. There will be many different genes acting in concert to cause this: some may start months in advance triggering extra hunger, while others cause these calories to be turned into larger fat stores, hormonal balenced can be changed to increase or decrease feelings of anxiety/fear/boldness/etc, increased sensitivity to climate temperature, and many more.
I’ve always seen genes DNA (as a layman) as sort of the blueprint for different parts of our body.
So as the body grows in the womb and throughout life, it refers to its DNA to know how to construct new parts.
My best guess would be that the DNA that controls the construction/repair/layout of our brain would be responsible.
So less that the “behavior” itself is stored, and more the blueprint for the neural pathways that are responsible for the behavior is stored.
So when someone exhibits a behavior randomly because of the structure of their brain due to natural mutation, if it makes them more likely to survive/make babies, they pass it on.
Instinctive behaviors are like pre-programmed software in your brain. Genes hold the instructions to build and wire your brain in specific ways, guiding neurons to form certain patterns during development. These patterns then trigger instinctive behaviors when needed.
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