Startling Percentage of Neuroscientists Say We Could Extract Memories From Dead Brains
Now, though, in an exercise to assess shifting scientific consensus, a cohort of 312 neuroscientists were quizzed by researchers on whether memories might live on in the structure of deceased brains. And a surprisingly larger number — 70.7 percent of the group — believe they may, findings which were newly published in the science journal PLOS One.
In addition, about 40 percent of those surveyed said they think it will be possible in the future to extract these memories from actual preserved parts or the entire brain of the deceased.
The neuroscientists also gave a tentative roadmap for how that could unfold. They estimated that scientists would be able to resurrect memories from dead roundworms by 2045, and then from lab mice brains by 2065. For humans, scientists might achieve this incredible feat by 2125, the neuroscientists estimated.
"That's a substantial chunk of neuroscientists who think there's a very real chance that it will work, and my guess is that actually that number will creep up over time as we get better at doing these brain implants, emulations, all these other things," Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston, a research fellow at Monash University in Australia and the paper's first author, told IFL Science, which flagged the research.
One major roadblock: there isn't yet a consensus on exactly how memories are stored. Zeleznikow-Johnston told IFL Science he thinks preserving the brain's connectome, which are neural pathways, would probably be the key to preserving, extracting and recalling memories from the dead.
Before all this stuff happens, lots of major work needs to happen. But advanced tools such as AI could give scientists a significant boost in efforts to decode the human brain and possibly even decode memories from the deceased.
If it does come to pass, we can barely imagine the ethical questions that would arise from such a feat.
More on neuroscience: Scientists Scanned the Brains of Authoritarians and Found Something Weird
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Ancient boomerang found in Poland challenges beliefs on early human settlement
New technology has revealed that an ancient mammoth tusk boomerang discovered in Poland in 1985 is significantly older than archaeologists initially believed. The artifact, discovered in Podhale Obłazowa Cave, was estimated to be between 30,000 and 23,000 years old and believed to originate from Pavlovian culture, according to a June 28 news release from Science in Poland. Thanks to DNA and isotopic analyses, researchers have confirmed the artifact may be up to 42,000 years old, predating the oldest known Aboriginal boomerang by tens of thousands of years, according to a study published June 25 in the journal PLOS One and Australian archaeological records. The new finding makes the mammoth ivory boomerang the oldest ever discovered in Europe and possibly the world, according to the study. 'While today the boomerang is commonly associated with Aboriginal culture in Australia, historical evidence suggests its use across different continents,' researchers said. The boomerang, measuring about 28 inches long, flies but does not return to the thrower, similar to some Aboriginal boomerang designs, experts said. It bears 'notable wear and polish' indicating frequent handling. The artifact was found alongside a bone from a human thumb, a Conus shell, pendants made from arctic fox teeth, stone artifacts and boulders intentionally moved into the cave, suggesting it may have been used in a 'shamanistic ritual,' according to experts. Researchers said no ivory fragments were found at the site, so the boomerang must have been carved somewhere else and taken to Obłazowa Cave, 'underscoring its special status.' The age of the ivory boomerang and other artifacts also challenges beliefs that no one permanently lived in what is now Central Europe during that time, according to researchers. Until now, many experts believed Homo sapiens did not settle in the region until after 35,000 B.C., leaving it 'uninhabited for millennia following Neanderthal extinction.' The new findings provide evidence of sustained human settlement during the Early Aurignacian — a culture associated with the first modern humans, according to the study. The research team included Sahra Talamo, Nicole Casaccia, Michael P. Richards, Lukas Wacker, Laura Tassoni, Adam Nadachowski, Anna Kraszewska, Magda Kowal, Jakub Skłucki, Christopher Barrington, Monica Kelly, Frankie Tait, Mia Williams, Carla Figus, Antonino Vazzana, Ginevra Di Bernardo, Matteo Romandini, Giovanni Di Domenico, Stefano Benazzi, Cristina Malegori, Giorgia Sciutto, Paolo Oliveri, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Mateja Hajdinjak, Pontus Skoglund, Andrea Picin and Paweł Valde‑Nowak. Obłazowa Cave is about a 60-mile drive south from Krakow. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Science in Poland.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
The hurricane name game: Will people take a storm called Flossie seriously?
The latest name assigned to a tropical storm – Flossie – in the Eastern Pacific prompted more than a few raised eyebrows and jokes on social media. Flossie? The name is far more associated with cows in literature and even a long-lived cat in the Guinness Book of World Records than a potentially disastrous storm. But Flossie may soon be a hurricane and could be headed for the tourist hot spot Cabo San Lucas at the southern end of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Will people take the amiable-sounding storm as seriously as they might another storm? There has not been a lot of definitive research to determine whether the name of a storm affects how people prepare for or pay attention to storms. One earlier study found that male hurricane names are often taken more seriously than female names, but more than a dozen storms have been named Flossie, and at least one of them left its own serious trail of destruction. One study has claimed male hurricane names were taken more seriously than female names. "In judging the intensity of a storm, people appear to be applying their beliefs about how men and women behave," said Sharon Shavitt, a professor of marketing at Illinois and a coauthor of the study, which appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2014. "This makes a female-named hurricane, especially one with a very feminine name such as Belle or Cindy, seem gentler and less violent." Though that study was mostly debunked, it raised some questions about the naming policy of hurricanes. Hurricane names come from long ago and far away: In fact, some of the storm names on the various lists have been around since 1950 (including Flossie), and they come from the imaginations of the folks at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva. A member of the United States' National Hurricane Center weighs in on the lists, which are chosen long in advance and are on a six-year rotation. The WMO chooses hurricane names several years in advance, so storms are not named based on their severity at the time. "It is important to note that tropical cyclones are not named after individuals," the WMO says. When selecting a new name, the WMO considers these criteria: ∎ Short in character length for ease of use in communication.∎ Easy to pronounce.∎ Appropriate significance in different languages.∎ Uniqueness – same names cannot be used in other regions. From the early 1950s until the late 1970s, hurricanes received only female names. The alternating male-female naming system was adopted in the late 1970s because of society's increased awareness of sexism, the authors in the 2014 study said. The first "male" storm was Hurricane Bob in 1979. So is it time to modernize the list, which contains some rather old-fashioned names to American ears, such as Flossie, which has been used in one form or another for 19 tropical cyclones worldwide since 1950? "Some of the hurricane names which have been in use for many years may now seem a bit dated," WMO spokesperson Claire Nullis acknowledged in an e-mail to USA TODAY June 30. "The (WMO) hurricane committee is concerned with the retirement of names of hurricanes which were particularly damaging or deadly – and they tend to be later in the season (so later in the alphabet) than early season ones. "I'm not aware that the hurricane committee has ever discussed withdrawing names which don't sound threatening." And as a popular baby name in the United States, the pregnancy advice site Bump said, the name Flossy peaked in 1908 before bottoming out in 1927. It turns out Flossie, or Flossy, has been in the hurricane vernacular for a very long time – dating all the way back to 1950 in the Western Pacific and 1956 in the Atlantic. It has been used for 19 tropical cyclones worldwide: two the Atlantic Ocean, eight in the eastern Pacific Ocean and nine in the western Pacific. One of the more notable Flossies occurred in early September 2001, when remnant moisture from the eastern Pacific's Hurricane Flossie helped bring strong thunderstorms, lightning and flash floods across portions of Southern California, according to a National Hurricane Center report. "There were no direct deaths or damage from Flossie while it was a tropical cyclone, but two people died from lightning strikes when the remnants arrived in Southwestern California." Four people were struck by lightning in the San Diego and San Bernardino Mountains, and two of them died: a 53-year old man struck while hiking and a 13-year-old boy who was standing in an open field. One storm brought 2 inches of rain in an hour and caused flooding in San Diego and Riverside counties, the hurricane center said. In 2013, Tropical Storm Flossie almost made landfall in Hawaii but moved to the north. Two hurricanes named Flossie have approached Hawaii: a category 4 in 2007 and a category 1 in 2019. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Flossie became a name for a potentially serious hurricane
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research Announces Launch of Enhanced Sarcoidosis Data Registry
CHICAGO, July 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR), the leading international organization dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and improving care for those affected, is proud to announce the launch of a new and enhanced version of the FSR-SARC Registry, the Sarcoidosis Advanced Registry for Cures. The FSR-SARC Registry is an IRB-approved, longitudinal, patient-powered database designed to accelerate sarcoidosis research by collecting critical insights on diagnosis, organ manifestation, treatments, symptoms, and impacts on quality of life. With nearly 7,000 participants from 68 different countries to date, the Registry is a cornerstone of FSR's mission to advance understanding and treatment of this complex and often misunderstood disease. The upgraded FSR-SARC Registry introduces a new, user-friendly platform (in partnership with Across Healthcare) with expanded features to maximize the impact of patient participation. Participants can now more easily share their experiences, update their information, and contribute to a growing body of knowledge that supports both clinical research and improved patient outcomes. Key Features and Benefits of the New FSR-SARC Registry: Enhanced Data Collection: The registry now captures even more comprehensive information on patients impacted by sarcoidosis. In addition to questionnaires and surveys, participants receiving care in the U.S. can link the Registry directly to their provider's patient portal. Improved Security and Privacy: Hosted on Across Healthcare's HIPAA-compliant platform, the Registry ensures that all personal health information is encrypted, securely stored, and only shared in de-identified form with approved researchers. Empowering Patient Voices: By enabling patients and caregivers to self-report their experiences, the registry provides critical insights into the variability, progression, and burden of sarcoidosis, informing future research and care recommendations. Facilitating Research and Clinical Trials: The registry connects interested patients to IRB-approved research opportunities based on both their eligibility and proximity to trial sites, helping to stimulate hypothesis-driven research and support the development of new treatments. Commitment to Representation and Access: FSR remains dedicated to expanding the variety of Registry participants and ensuring representation of all sarcoidosis patients. 'FSR is committed to empowering patients and accelerating research through the FSR-SARC Registry. We are immensely grateful for the extraordinary commitment of the sarcoidosis community in giving of their time and insights to inform and drive sarcoidosis research,' said Mary McGowan, President and CEO of FSR. 'Now in its tenth year, the Registry has been one of our most powerful tools to elevate patient voices in the advancement of sarcoidosis research. The enhanced surveys and platform represent a significant step forward in our efforts to drive innovation elevate patient-centered drug development, and improve patient outcomes for all impacted by sarcoidosis.' Participation in the FSR-SARC Registry is voluntary, confidential, and open to all individuals living with sarcoidosis or their caregivers. By joining, participants help shape the future of sarcoidosis research and care. For more information about the FSR-SARC Registry and to sign up, please visit About Sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by granulomas—tiny clumps of inflammatory cells—that can form in one or more organs. 90% of patients living with sarcoidosis have lung involvement. Despite advances in research, sarcoidosis remains challenging to diagnose, with limited treatment options and no known cure. Approximately 175,000 people live with sarcoidosis in the United States. About the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is the leading international organization dedicated to finding a cure for sarcoidosis and improving care for those living with the disease through research, education, and support. For more information about FSR and its community programs, visit: Media Contact: Cathi Davis, Director of Communications and Marketing Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research cathi@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
