My AP Psychology teacher briefly touched on the fact that behavior can be influenced by genetics. This made me wonder.
I understand how genetics can influence physical characteristics, but how can it influence such abstract concepts like instinct and behavior?
In: Biology
The Gila monster is a venomous lizard. However, the venom is in its saliva. It doesn’t have hollow fangs and poison sacs like a snake. The Gila monster has to *chew* on its prey to get the venom into the targeted victim.
Biologists notice that sometimes, a Gila monster will latch onto its prey, and then roll over. This allows the force of *gravity* to get the saliva into the prey.
Gila monsters don’t *know* they have poisonous saliva. Not in the same way that you and I know that they do. And they don’t know how gravity works, either.
No, what has happened here is that, millions and millions of years ago, there were lizards that grabbed prey and flipped over, and those lizards had a successful hunt. And then those lizards passed on their genes, and now there’s a bunch of Gila monsters out there that grab mice and rabbits and flip over and the rabbits eventually die and the Gila monster has lunch. *They have no idea* ***why*** *this works for them. They’re not even doing this “consciously,”* as you and I define that word. The behavior just works for them. And they continue to pass on their genes.
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