Research has challenged the long-held belief that memory solely arises from neuronal connections. Instead, studies on individual human cells and unicellular organisms indicate that memory can exist in solitary cells, allowing them to recall past experiences. This new perspective broadens the understanding of memory, suggesting that the capabilities of memory might extend beyond traditional neural pathways and involve similar mechanisms in simpler biological forms like ciliates, which exhibit neuron-like traits, including action potentials and excitable membranes.
"For the better part of a century, we've assumed that memory is an inter cellular phenomenon: that it's the consequence of collections of neurons in our brains wiring together."
"New research on individual human cells and tiny unicellular creatures is revealing that memory transcends these connections - and that even the smallest solitary cell remembers its past experiences."
"Ciliates have excitable membranes like neurons, and even more similar to neurons, they have action potentials."
"Claire writes about a small but group of neuroscientists exploring whether cells record past experiences - fundamentally challenging what memory is."
Collection
[
|
...
]