- Jo Nagai, an elementary student in Japan, raised swallowtail butterflies and noticed they returned to him after release, sparking curiosity about butterfly memory.
- He contacted Dr. Martha Weiss, an entomologist who studied caterpillar-to-moth memory, and they designed a home experiment to test memory retention across metamorphosis.
- Jo trained caterpillars to associate lavender scent with a mild electric pulse, and the resulting butterflies avoided lavender, proving memory survives metamorphosis.
- The experiment showed transgenerational memory inheritance: offspring and grandchildren of trained butterflies also avoided lavender without training.
- Jo presented his 33-page research paper at the 2024 International Congress of Entomology in Kobe, Japan, with Dr. Weiss and global experts present.
- Despite his success, Jo plans to become a veterinarian rather than an entomologist.