It turns out you might be able to blame dad (or even grandpa) for your aversion to things like heights and certain smells: A Nature Neuroscience study shows mice trained to avoid a smell passed their aversion on to their “grandchildren” through changes to the DNA in sperm.

A team at the Emory University School of Medicine trained the animals to fear a smell similar to that of a cherry blossom. Upon completion, both the mice’s offspring, and their offspring, were “extremely sensitive” to cherry blossom and would avoid the scent, despite never having experiencing it in their lives.

When the researchers took a look inside the sperm for answers, they found that a section of DNA responsible for sensitivity to the cherry blossom scent was made more active. Experts said the results were important for phobia and anxiety research. “The experiences of a parent, even before conceiving, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations,” they said in the report.

Though not yet tested in humans, the findings are nonetheless significant. They provide evidence of “transgenerational epigenetic inheritance” – that the environment can affect an individual’s genetics, which can in turn be passed on. Prof Marcus Pembrey, from University College London, said the findings were “highly relevant to phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders” and provided “compelling evidence” that a form of memory could be passed between generations.

With this new evidence of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, scientists may soon take a multigenerational approach to studying other phenomena, including neuropsychiatric disorders and obesity.