Research into how the human memory works is teaching scientists how to write, rewrite and even control our memories, according to a new documentary.
The new show called Memory Hackers from PBS explores the latest research into human memory and how it can be manipulated.
“For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact,” say the filmmakers.
“But now, researchers are discovering that memory is far more malleable, always being written and rewritten, not just by us but by others. We are discovering the precise mechanisms that can explain and even control our memories.”
Image | YouTube
One of the most astounding moments in the documentary comes when neuroscientists use optogenetic lasers to implant a memory into a mouse.
Footage shows the exact moment the new memory is created in the mouse’s brain, according to Gizmodo.
One of the show’s human subjects is Jake Hausler, a 12-year-old boy from St. Louis.
Jake Hausler, 12, has Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory | Image | PBS
Jake has been diagnosed with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory and can remember practically everything that has ever happened to him since he was eight.
The disorder makes it hard for him to distinguish between trivial and important past events – a crucial skill says neuroscientist Andre Fenton.
“Forgetting is probably one of the most important things that brains will do. We understand only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to human memory,” according to Fenton.
WATCH the Memory Hackers trailer here:
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