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Thursday, July 21, 2016

Scientists Have Figured Out How To Delete And Edit Memories But Are We Ready

Memory is the most important part of a person’s identity, so it’s baffling that today there is still so little we understand about how human memory works. In PBS’ “Memory Hackers,” scientists from around the world let us in on their research into how to manipulate our memories in order to forget or even create new ones. The hour-long documentary interviews cognitive scientists and neurobiologists as well as their subjects to gain more insight into how these fascinating processes work and what the amazing results are.

The documentary’s producers explain the premise and motivation behind making this film by saying that,

“For much of human history, memory has been seen as a tape recorder that faithfully registers information and replays it intact, 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.”

If you’re thinking about how these studies might relate to the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, you’re not far off. Among the subjects the film studies, the research of Karim Nader is explored. Nader discovered that the human memory may not be permanent but may, instead, be vulnerable to alteration each time a memory is recalled. This discovery led to hundreds of other studies around the world that were rooted in this theory, and is rumored to be an inspiration for the well-known independent movie.

One of the patients in the film is Jake Hausler, a 12-year-old boy with a fascinating and rare ability to remember everything he has ever experienced since he was 8. Jake is the youngest person to ever be diagnosed with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, a mental ability that allows him to recall everything he’s ever done but makes it difficult to distinguish between important and trivial memories and events. Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine are mapping Jake’s brain to understand what makes his memory so strong and to see if this leads to new insights about how memory works.

Professor Julia Shaw, who is a researcher that the film follows as well, is an expert on false memory and the implantation of memories. Her research, which has a 70% success rate for convincing people that they committed a crime that they actually were not involved in, reveals the flaws in the criminal justice system and prisoners who were convicted purely based on eyewitness testimony that was likely faulty.

While Shaw is researching the implantation of memories, another scientist, André Fenton, is studying the science of forgetting memories. He believes that, “Forgetting is probably one of the most important things that brains will do,” and that it’s possible that an injection could erase a painful memory. His hopes are that his research will one day help those suffering with dementia and Alzheimers by having a better understanding of how our brain works to remove memories.

Merel Kindt has also discovered that medication can help to remove negative associations of some memories. In her research, she was able to cure patients that suffered from severe cases of arachnophobia, which is the fear of spiders. This could lead to breakthroughs in reducing anxieties and fears in those who find daily functions intimidating, as well as help with a range of other anxiety-related issues like eating disorders.

Though this research may be fascinating and innovative, it raises the question of whether or not humans are ready for these kinds of breakthroughs. Just as the abuse of implanting memories can be dangerous for important aspects of society like being an eyewitness to a crime, forgetting memories could be hazardous for people’s personal lives and individual development. When the research turns into concrete medication or treatments available to the public, we will have to ask ourselves if we are prepared for such unknown consequences.

Watch the trailer for “Memory Hackets” below and tell us what you think in the comments!

Saturday, June 11, 2016

These 6 Living Creatures Are Almost Immortal!

The perspective of immortality varies religiously and scientifically, whatever it is, we found out some creatures that live longer naturally. The term is ‘Biological immortality’ and it refers to a decrease in cellular degradation or stable cellular activity after a considerably long living period or sometimes throughout the entire lifecycle. A creature can pull off mortality through gradual death, injury or by infection – this is called Senescence and a few special species achieve negligible senescence.

Presenting the animals that have lived long enough and are still kicking ass –

1. Lobsters

They show no sign of ageing and continue to exist for decades together. Although, only few have been observed like this dark red crustacean, probably NYC’s oldest lobster reported to be close to 140 years (see source). While it’s known that lobsters succumb to disease and not by old age, what many don’t know is that it can reproduce till its last breath. In fact, lobsters are more fertile as they age. Trivia: A lobster’s age is calculated by its weight. So, the bigger it gets, the older it is.(source)

2. Flatworms

Flatworms, especially the Planarians, are promising specimen in the field of ageing research. Planarian flatworms exhibit outstanding regenerative capabilities – an ability that can restore lost tissue or develop into a completely separate organisms when split. The fact that they live with steady telomerase levels (Telomerase is a protein enzyme that aids cell division by enabling continues supply of telomeres)their existence effectively makes them ‘immortal’.(source)

3. Tiny Waterbears

They’re small, adorable and gummy bear like creatures – these factors make them the tough animals on Planet Earth. Water bears or Tardigrades are microscopic 8 –legged water inhabiting organisms that can survive under any condition. From intense space radiation, cruelest low pressure depths, adverse temperature ranges 458 F- 300 F to the harshest deserts, they can thrive with mighty prospects. Waterbears can control and stop metabolism, shed all body water content and remain dehydrated for nearly 10 years – the Tardigrades are here to stay. (source)

4. Jellyfish

A particular species of Jellyfish known as Turritopsis dohrnii uses a transdifferentiation process by which it can indefinitely cycle back to and fro between early polyp stage and mature medusa stage. This way an adult jellyfish can refill its cells by reverting back to a three day polyploidy event thus growing younger again. (source)

5. Turtles and Tortoises

A chosen few vertebrates experience negligible senescence. Researchers have found that the body of turtles and tortoises can persist for several decades without any change in functionality or reproduction capability as long as they stay clear of wounds and diseases. The best example would be Adwaita, one of longest living animals from the family of Aldabra giant tortoise and reaching the age of 255 years. It died in 2006 following a flesh wound in its cracked shell.(source)

6. Hydra

Like flatworms, hydra shares the ability to regenerate and prolong life. Found in fresh water, these are multi-cellular and possess radial symmetry. Continuous cell division tramples biological defects while it can prevent telomere loss i.e flow of genetic information from DNA to mRNA thus becoming biologically immortal.(source)

Source: unbelievable-facts.com