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POPSBrain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory "Artists and writers have led the exploration of identity, consciousness and memory for centuries. Yet even as scientists sent men to the moon and spacecraft to Saturn and submarines to the ocean floor, the instrument responsible for such feats, the human mind, remained almost entirely dark, a vast and mostly uncharted universe as mysterious as the New World was to explorers of the past." "Yet as scientists begin to climb out of the dark foothills and into the dim light, they are now poised to alter the understanding of human nature in ways artists and writers have not." I think that the image that the human holds of what it is to be a human compels us to pursue the paths of improvement and augmentation. Not doing so is unethical in regards to how one perceives himself and her fellow humans.
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POPSThe Woman Who Can't Forget, (her past not more) "As I followed Price's story, I was fascinated but doubtful. I am a cognitive psychologist, and to me something didn't smell right. Everyone seems to have an uncle or cousin with "photographic" memory, but damned if they can actually give you a phone number to reach that person. The only serious scientific paper documenting photographic memory was published nearly 40 years ago, and that study has never been replicated. Price, however, is eminently real. I spent the better part of two days with her, meeting her friends and family and watching her at the office. At the end, I can honestly say that in my decade as a professor of psychology, I've never encountered anyone remotely like Jill Price."
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POPSEat less, Remember more Though some of the effects are clearly physiological, i think it also the fact that eating less interferes with the need for immediate full satisfaction. That gap might as well be utilized in better ways (such as in this context improving memory). No wonder that one of the best rock songs is dubbed 'i can't get no satisfaction'... ;-)
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POPSRemembering an unknown memory Very interesting study to show that Images people see but don't consciously register are affecting people's decision-making. Another look into our 'familiar' sense of what is real? and touching the concept of what people call free choice..
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POPS'Memory pill' could be available soon "The reality is we're not always at our best. After being up at night looking after the kids or travelling, many people would love to have something to sharpen them up. It's not taboo to drink Red Bull. The principle with cognition enhancers is not so different."
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POPSHave a memory like an elephant When it comes to smarts, elephants are right up there with dolphins, apes and humans, says WCS cognitive scientist Diana Reiss and colleagues at Emory University in Atlanta. They reported in 2006 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA that elephants, like the other mammals in that exclusive circle, are the only animals known to recognize their reflections in a mirror.
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POPSFalse Memory Syndrome there is the danger of false memory syndrome, defined by the Royal College of Psychiatrists as the recollection of an event that did not occur, but which the individual subsequently strongly believes. Some therapists think that adults who were abused as children but cannot recall the incident can be helped to "recover" their memory. The RCP disputes this, stating that it leads to the creation of false memories: "The evidence does not support the view that memory enhancement techniques actually enhance memory… these are powerful and dangerous methods of persuasion." Interesting reading and thought provoking. Can we trust, that which seems so true... meaning our own mind?
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POPSSmart amoebas reveal origins of primitive intelligence "Now they have identified a potential storage device. The amoeba's interior contains a watery sol – a solid suspended in liquid – within a thick viscous gel. The sol flows through the gel like water through a sponge, creating a network of low-viscosity channels. Those channels are strengthened as long as the amoeba continues to respond to a static environment, but if that environment changes the channels gradually break down and a new network appears as the amoeba adapts. For a short while, though, the amoeba retains a “memory” of those earlier conditions."
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POPSErasing fear In a number of experiments they instilled a trauma in the mouse by applying electric shocks - but then removed the memory with a calcium enzyme called CamKII. But fears both new and old alike were wiped clean or over-written by over dosing the mouse's brain with CamKII. Eventually the research could lead to a pill or injection being administered to a person at the same time as they are asked to recall the painful memory or fear. That is very interesting. It can be a meaningful one, but only if it is part of an overall different description of what is a human? ?-)
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POPSArtificial memory storage this is amazing. if it works it can be used not only for the sick, why not having an external hard drive to store memories, and new information, or to download some existing one, making space to newer? sounds intriguing, and yes it woulkd change human identity. But hey, why not?
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POPSRemember = Reliving Very interesting findings. if it holds true to 'older' memories, then it raises a question; as the neural network molds and reshapes, so does our memories? if so maybe we can only remember who we are, rather than what we were...
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POPSCan you trust your mind? "These findings have significant implications for the authenticity of reports of recovered memory experiences." "Overall, this study clearly demonstrates that false suggestions about childhood events can profoundly change people’s attitudes and behavior." This is an amazing (if i recall it is not the first one:)) study. Raising many questions regarding the validity of my self-experience and knowledge.
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POPSNight belongs to the young... "This study's findings could inspire the development and testing of pharmacological agents designed to enhance memory replay phenomena," Hasselmo said. And i say, why wait for old age? maybe we should begin taking it (once it is out) much before...
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POPSX, Y, Z of genders :) Professor Carey Cooper, a psychologist who specialises in sex differences at Lancaster University, said: "It is probably a combination of the genetics and hard wiring of the brain together with the social imprinting of gender that has led to the behavioural differences we now see between men and women."
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