Genius 10 Year Old's Research Shocks Scientists Around the World

At just 10 years old, Jo Nagai conducted an experiment that would surprise scientists around the world.

By raising and training swallowtail caterpillars at home, Jo demonstrated that butterflies can retain memories formed during their larval stage, even after undergoing complete metamorphosis. But what he discovered next was even more unexpected: those learned responses appeared to persist to the next generation.

This video explores Jo’s experiment, the scientific ideas behind it, and the simple question that started it all.

#research #science #nature #animals #animalbehavior #discovery #butterfly
______________________________________________________________________________________________

I post behind the scenes research and additional fun details that didn't make it into each video on my Patreon.

This is the best way to support the research, writing and time that goes into the channel.

Thank you for watching and enjoying the videos!

Patreon: patreon.com/ACuriousBirb
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2248710/
Martha's 2025 Presentation - ufl.zoom.us/rec/play/RPN3Hcaal9k62flVa9e3JwRsGFj0DTKybTAQGaGTgbLGGVf3wSg5or79A7WrUq2bBZBb-lInPds0uas_.xluzY59CGdd8m5UL?eagerLoadZvaPages=&accessLevel=&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&startTime=1738084069000&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fufl.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FXBIZqs2Hp7HEKC81yqKhy5nOs-DIQF9jj1hbpDM0MsJAahbT7zwCol5k7XxENGfE.14TxRnyhHnjVKK1e%3FstartTime%3D1738084069000
storage.ghost.io/c/16/19/1619a79c-38d2-4e0c-8276-10c5572e1e6a/content/files/2025/02/Caterpillar-Roadshow.pdf

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

This video uses images and illustrations from Wikimedia Commons, Flickr, and other Creative Commons sources.

Unless otherwise stated, all images have been cropped, zoomed, or otherwise modified for video presentation.

Full image credits (including authors, licenses, and source links) are available here:
FULL IMAGE CREDITS –
1drv.ms/w/c/d2863ccf42cb2eac/IQAzoQ-lFxX0Qq4Ml6_bbnNYASYoMQ1caMkeopGsqf0IoOo?e=NDbFRg