Unlocking the DNA Potential

John Craig Venter (TED profile) and other brilliant scientists have, in the last decade, made amazing strides in the area of genetics.  These scientists have been sequencing the human genome and discovering what genes cause certain traits in us, from physical traits like eye color to mental disorders and dispositions like OCD and addictive behavior.

Despite being within us, and is the building blocks for our existence, we are still learning more about our DNA.  This reminds me of one science fiction (or is it?) theory that our DNA contains the memory of our ancestors.  The Assassin's Creed video game and media franchise takes this idea to the next step.  Using advanced technology under deep secretive conspiracy, we can explore the memories of our ancestors and see what they saw, hear what they heard, and experience what they had experienced in their lifetime.

But wait, all this in our own DNA?  One simple explanation can be seen with migratory birds.  How do they know to fly to the south when winter strikes the north?  Their parents never taught them.  And they've been doing this as long as they have existed.  Therefore, the foresight, or even the memories of their predecessors, must be built into their DNA to tell them to migrate when the weather turns sour.  Crazy?  Definitely.  Plausible?  I think so.  Will it happen within the next decade?  Perhaps not, but further research would need to be conducted...