Doctor Stu's Science Blog
memory
Why it’s time to forget about online dementia tests
You probably remember a time when nobody dared talk about dementia. Comedians would joke about ‘mad granddad’ but no-one seriously wanted to contemplate a life without memory. Thankfully, Alzheimer’s disease charities have started to wake us up to the reality of the 850,000 people who live with dementia in the UK.. Stigmatisation is waning but … Continue reading
Smells can help restore memories
Freshly cut grass, rain falling on sun-baked tarmac, the cologne of your first love… we all have smells that stir up special, personal memories. For me, the smell of wood smoke evokes memories of camping as a child. A close friend told me that, for him, even the faintest whiff of a burning mosquito coil … Continue reading
Nostalgia: Why we think things were better in the past
They just don’t write blogs like they used to. Back in the good old days there was none of this Twitter or Facebook piffle. Web pages were once simple and images didn’t instantly appear but – like a photo being developed – gradually formed out of a pixelated mess. In the 1990s, receiving an email … Continue reading
Blue Lights Shown to Give a Brain Boost! But is a Better than Coffee?
It’s 6 am and the alarm sounds. Mornings aren’t a friendly place until you’ve had a coffee. Loathed by some but loved by many more, caffienated drinks are the world’s most popular drug. Effective as a stimulant, a mood-booster and an learning-enhancer, caffeine is an indispensable part of modern-day living for 90% of Westerners. Coffee … Continue reading
The Man Who Could Never Forget
It’s cold outside; Moscow in the 1920’s was not a happy place to be: Russia was still reeling from the bloody Bolshevik Revolution and Lenin had recently come to power. But for one newspaper reporter going about his normal work, life was about to change forever.
Decisions Decisions… Memory and Choice
I seem to spend a considerable amount of my life in supermarkets; probably because I can never decide what to buy. There seem to be too many choices! If you ever happen upon me in a supermarket, I’ll probably be in the breakfast cereal aisle pacing up and down, scrutinising different packets - completely unable to make a decision. Do you ever … Continue reading
Memory: ‘I’m Sorry and You Are?”
How often have you forgotten something? When was the last time you walked into a room and forgot why you had gone in there? Don’t worry - you’re not alone. This is the first of two blogs looking at memory. Today’s blog looks at how our memory works and just how precious and fragile it is.
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