Memory: The Hidden Pathways That Make Us Human
Presenter:
World Science Festival
Time:
1:28:34
Summary
Memory defines us. Memory is the basis of our sense of self. But how do the structures of the mind store memories? What changes do memories imprint on the brain? And what is the role of emotion in determining the quality of our memories? Brian Greene explores these and related questions with four top researchers--Veronica O’Keane, Tim Bredy, Gail Robinson, and Oliver Baumann—who unravel myriad mysteries of the human capacity for memory.
Transcript
Marcel Proust began one of the most famous novels of the 20th century with a passage in which the protagonist bites into a tiny cake served with tea, and it triggers a flood of childhood memories,and perhaps a more familiar example, when Anton ego has served a plate of Ratatouille, he is thrown back to a childhood reverie that proves life changing.
Why is it that particular events become etched in our minds, seemingly impossible to forget, while so many of us cannot even remember what we wore yesterday.