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Volatility of Human Memory

prostoalex writes "Scientific Americans looks into the human brain, trying to figure out why some events just tend to stick in our memories forever, while the others are gone: "How does a gene "know" when to strengthen a synapse permanently and when to let a fleeting moment fade unrecorded? And how do the proteins encoded by the gene "know" which of thousands of synapses to strengthen? The same questions have implications for understanding fetal brain development, a time when the brain is deciding which synaptic connections to keep and which to discard. In studying that phenomenon, my lab came up with an intriguing solution to one of these mysteries of memory.""

21 of 246 comments (clear)

  1. poor /. synaptic function by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does this article explain the dupes on /. ??

    1. Re:poor /. synaptic function by grub · · Score: 5, Funny


      No, but this does.

      --
      Trolling is a art,
    2. Re:poor /. synaptic function by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
      Does this article explain the dupes on /. ??

      Maybe, but I'm sure it explains WOM - Write Only Memory.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Uh... sorry... by hadesan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Forgot what I was about to type...

  3. Yeah, my lab came to the same conclusions... by gardyloo · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... but then -- OOH! Shiny!

  4. Implications for Slashdot Editors by mr_don't · · Score: 2, Funny

    When scientists figure out how this process works, we should start a fund to genetically enhance the memories of the Slashdot editors, in order to prevent DUPES

  5. This reminds me of... by astebbin · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Dory the fish, who suffered from the same condition as HM in the Scientific Americ...Ameri... umm...

    Sorry... have we met?

    1. Re:This reminds me of... by FiReaNGeL · · Score: 4, Funny

      P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney!

    2. Re:This reminds me of... by TheShadowHawk · · Score: 3, Funny

      Wow! What did you type into the google engine to get back "Victor.. you are a dumbass!"?

      ;)
      --
      Friends don't let Friends use Internet Explorer.
  6. Oops.. by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Funny
    Dang. I had the perfect post, but forgot what it was just after hitting Reply..

    I hate when that happens.

    On another note... when I was 13 years old I was walking around the house for about 20 minutes trying to find the screw driver I just had, where the heck could it have gone, I just ... had ... it ... in ... my ... hand. It was still there and at that point I knew what lay ahead for me in life.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Oops.. by gardyloo · · Score: 2, Funny

      What -- you're now a slashdot editor?

    2. Re:Oops.. by The+Ultimate+Fartkno · · Score: 2, Funny

      > when I was 13 years old I was walking around the house for about 20 minutes trying to find the screw driver I just had,

      20 minutes?

      When I was 31 I spent a good half an hour wandering around the house trying to find my glasses. Suddenly I found them on a table, put them on, and immediately thought "great, now I can find... wait, what was I looking for?"

      I spent another ten minutes looking around before I remembered what I was doing.

      At that point I said "you know, I should just go back to using drugs. Clearly I'm not meant to cope with reality."

  7. At last... by teneighty · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... I can erase goatse and tubgirl from my memory.

  8. Re:Women memory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Men forget but never forgive
    Women forgive but never forget.

  9. Re:Pain for me by savagedome · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well at least they didin't send you to school right away.

    A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch and not paying attention. She went back to find out what was going on. He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy. The teacher told him go down to the principal's office, phone his mother, and ask her what he should do about it. He did it and he returned to the classroom, where he sat down in his seat.

    Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room. She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his penis hanging out. "I thought I told you to call your mom!" she screamed. "I did," he said, "And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school ..."

  10. Human memory by user32.ExitWindowsEx · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know when I realized this, but the human mind is like the internet. everything you could ever want to know is probably in there, but you need google to find it all and every search eventually leads to something sex-related.

    --
    "Evil will always triumph because good is dumb." -- Dark Helmet
    1. Re:Human memory by illest503 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Extending the analogy...

      If you buy and smoke some marijauna, odds are that both your cache and your cookies will be either depleted or gone.

  11. Re:A few memories I would like to remember... by Mr.Zong · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The first time I had sex. The second time I had sex. The third time I had sex. How about the fourth time? And the fifth?"

    That reminds of me of the first time i lied on /. And the second time. And of the course the third. But the fourth? And the fifth? Those I don't remember.

  12. Irony by ozbird · · Score: 2, Funny

    prostoalex forgot the apostrophe in "Scientific American's ...".

  13. Re:2 cents ... an philosophy by CmdrTookah · · Score: 2, Funny

    Totally off topic. Smoke another one.

  14. Re:OT: Re:poor /. synaptic function by flumps · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe we should try and masturbate a bit while learning, maybe the notion of an exam will become more pleasurable. ;)

    ... you may well laugh, but I spend many hours of the day rubbing my crotch whilst I'm learning stuff.


    Did I just say that out loud? Oh crap.

    --
    "So there he is, risen from the dead. Like that fella, E. T." - Father Ted Crilly