The effects of starvation may be passed on to subsequent generations, although it remains unclear as to how the specific traits are passed on, a new study reveals. The study, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, finds that starvation leads to certain changes in small RNAs in ringworms. These changes are then inherited by at least three subsequent generations, without any apparent DNA involvement.

Jean Baptiste Larmarck initially suggested that evolution of species occurs after individuals adapt to an environment and pass the acquired traits on to the next generation. However, Charles Darwin later concluded that random mutations give organisms a competitive advantage over subsequent generations.

Oliver Hobert, PhD, study leader, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at CUMC, said in a statement, “…events like the Dutch famine of World War II have compelled scientists to take a fresh look at acquired inheritance.”

During the famine, starving women who gave birth ended up with children, and grandchildren, who were highly prone to obesity and various other metabolic disorders.

According to the World Food Programme, approximately 842 million people around the world do not have enough food to eat. Many of these individuals live in developing countries.