memory news stories on Newser

See Something Traumatic? Don't Sleep Right Away

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:52:40 CST

Snoozing after experiencing a traumatic event might forge the negative memories and emotions in the brain, a new study suggests. UMass researchers exposed 100 adults to unsettling images and then allowed half to sleep and kept the other half awake. Twelve hours later, the subjects who stayed up displayed a...

Superman's Memory Crystals Inch Closer to Reality

Matt Cantor — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:00:05 CDT

The “memory crystals” Superman used to hear messages left by his parents are no longer just science fiction. Researchers in Britain have found a way to store computer data on glass by reorganizing its atoms. A laser creates miniscule dots, known as voxels, in silica glass. Light passing through the...

Disturbed Sleep Hurts Memory

Matt Cantor — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:14:05 CDT

Interrupted sleep can have adverse effects on our memories, a study suggests—a theory that could help explain memory troubles among sleep apnea and Alzheimer’s patients. Researchers disrupted sleep in mice using specialized light techniques, the BBC reports, and the mice later had more trouble recognizing objects that should have...

Internet Changes How We Remember

John Johnson — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:18:27 CDT

Why remember something if you can Google it? Researchers exploring that question have concluded that computers and search engines are changing the way human memory works, reports the San Jose Mercury News . Essentially, people in the experiments were less likely to remember a piece of trivia if they knew they...

Air Pollution Tied to Brain Damage

Matt Cantor — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:03:32 CDT

Air pollution isn’t just a threat to the heart and lungs: It can also affect learning, memory, and mood, researchers find. They exposed mice to extended periods of polluted or filtered air, and found that those exposed to pollution were slower to learn, quick to forget, and possibly more vulnerable...

Why We Can't Remember Being 2

Matt Cantor — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:34:05 CDT

Why is it that we struggle to remember events from before we were 3 or 4 years old? Canadian researchers found that 4- to 6-year-olds remembered events from age 2 or younger as their “earliest memories,” but two years later had largely forgotten them and named a different memory as...

Scientists Show How We Remember Dreams

Luke Kelly-Clyne — Sun, 08 May 2011 11:48:05 CDT

From the scariest nightmares to the most bizarre fantasies, some dreams are remembered forever, and a team of Italian scientists knows how. Researchers at L'Aquila and Bologna universities have determined that it's all about the theta waves. If those slow electrical oscillations are present in the cerebral cortex during the...

Stressed Out? You'll Learn Better

Matt Cantor — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:02:05 CDT

If studying for exams stresses you out, be glad: It could help you remember the material, a study suggests. Hormones produced when we’re stressed, like cortisol and adrenaline, help us store memories by altering the way our brain cells work, reports the Telegraph . The hormones “reprogram” DNA in our brains...

How Naps Can Help You Learn

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 09:20:57 CDT

If you’re a fan of the afternoon nap, there’s no need to be ashamed—in fact, new research gives you the perfect excuse to stop reading this right now and go grab some midday shuteye. In the study, volunteers who napped for 100 minutes prior to completing a memorization test...