Are there ancestral codes in our DNA?

Question

I live in a Taiwanese family, but I learn Mandarin Chinese. However, my parents speak Taiwanese between themselves often, and for some reason, even though I have never learned Taiwanese or even know how to speak it, I can understand them. It's like the words go through my brain and I suddenly understand them. Then, I read about a scientist who proposed that genes from our ancestors were passed down to us. This might explain my problem, but is it true?

Answer 1

That's sort of how DNA works--it passes down information from one generation to the next.  You even have inactive genes (part of the so-called junk DNA) which come from non-human ancestors.  As for the Taiwanese language thing, if you grew up hearing your parents use the language you're going to pick some of it up--we have an astounding ability to pick up languages.  I've never studied Spanish, but I can follow a basic amount of Spanish conversation because its so present here in California.  So, no, you didn't inherit your ability to understand Taiwanese beyond the simple fact that you inherited the ability to speak in the first place.

Answer 2

If they have spoken it since you were a child you would have learned the language in your mind though since you do not use it you can only understand it. Brain works in odd ways. We probably know more about space which isn't all that much then we do the Human brain.

Answer 3

its just learned repitition. You were raised by your parents, so you should understand your parents just by gestures and voice deflections.

Answer 4

"...my parents speak Taiwanese between themselves often, and for some reason, even though I have never learned Taiwanese or even know how to speak it, I can understand them."

Read that again.  If you hear a language and know what the speaker is saying then you have learned it.

Ancestral codes in our DNA?  That's what DNA *is*.

Answer 5

i dont think so... DNA shouldn't work that way (just my guess)

after you hear somethings over and over you begin to understand it.

i'm Thai, cant speak it, but i understand it when my parents speak it.

Answer 6

Some do believe it is possible to inherit memories from our ancestors encoded in DNA, especially memories that could be key to survival. You might want to click on this link and read this article...

http://www.nationalledger.com/cgi-bin/ar...