Can Memories Transfer? Scientists Replicate 1960s Planarian Worm Study to Find Out

In the 1960s, biologist James McConnell reported that planarian flatworms could acquire memories by eating other worms that had been trained, a finding that captured public imagination but later fell into scientific disrepute when results proved difficult to reproduce. Now, a team of researchers is revisiting McConnell’s infamous experiments with modern tools to test whether memory transfer via cannibalism has any biological basis. The original work involved training worms to contract in response to light and then feeding them to untrained worms, which appeared to learn faster. If the new replication succeeds, it could challenge our understanding of how memories are stored, potentially implicating RNA or other molecules in memory encoding. The study highlights the importance of revisiting controversial findings with rigorous methodology. The outcome may either debunk a long-standing myth or open a new chapter in memory research.