Who has too short a memory? Scientists have found out how short a person's memory is. Are marmots harmless?

To the question which animal has the shortest memory asked by the author sleepy the best answer is It is a misconception that it is a goldfish.
A goldfish that lives in an aquarium, contrary to the supposedly generally accepted fact, does not have a “3-second” memory.
Research conducted in 2003 at the School of Psychology at the University of Plytmouth showed that goldfish’s memory “works” for at least three months, while recognizing shapes, sounds, and colors. To get a treat, they were taught to lower a small lever.
Later, in the course of these studies, the lever was adjusted so that it was activated only one hour a day and the fish quickly learned to activate the lever at the desired hour.
Several similar experiments have shown that it is not difficult to train fish in large aquariums or cages to feed at one time and in one place when a certain sound signal is given.
Also, goldfish, when swimming in an aquarium, do not touch the wall, not because they see it, but because they use a special system that is sensitive to the pressure surrounding the fish itself. This system is called the lateral line. There are certain species of fish that live in caves, which are well oriented in pitch darkness only with the help of their lateral line.
Another misconception: a pregnant goldfish cannot in any way be an example of “utter stupidity” (pregnant, and blonde at that). The fact is that fish, including goldfish, in principle cannot be pregnant - they lay eggs, which are fertilized by males right in the water.
.I could be wrong, but it seems to me that in children. They don’t plan anything, they live in the present - in the moment, in the moment. That is, not the future and not the past.

Answer from Lena Sovka[guru]
At the goldfish

Answer from Piglet[guru]
Place a rake in your hallway.
After a week or two, read your question.
May the Lord give you wisdom, Yuri!

Answer from Eugene[newbie]
For "_ one_such_Victoria_ Higher Intelligence (202690)" specially:
1. There is memory, there is a reflex - you are the “higher mind” - you confuse this and are deeply mistaken... the presence of a reflex does not determine the properties of memory....
2. The lateral line is a system of orientation in space - of absolutely all fish, the goldfish has nothing to do with it - the only question that remains is how different this species is from others...
3. Regarding “pregnancy” - you are also mistaken - there is a place where the female will spawn, and every fish has a great variety of ways to spawn on the way to this place 😉
4. Regarding children, I personally think that children are born geniuses - but parents successfully fight this - especially about parents like you - this is especially relevant....
So - if you don’t understand me - then - 6 seconds of memory - it’s not only about a goldfish - it’s also about your person 😉

Since the working memory of the human brain can only work in four directions. This conclusion was reached by American psychologists, the results of which are presented in the scientific publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For a long time it was believed that a person can simultaneously remember up to seven different objects. This theory was first voiced back in 1956 by Harvard University psychologist George Miller. As a basis for this statement, he took telephone numbers that use no more than seven digits. As a result of his research, he derived a formula according to which a person’s short-term memory can simultaneously contain seven plus or minus two objects.

However, Nelson Cowan, a psychologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, noticed that when a person remembers a phone number, he subconsciously breaks it down into blocks of three to four digits, which became the basis for his research in the field of short-term memory.

After conducting a study, scientists came to the conclusion that the capabilities of this memory are more modest - it has no more than 4 vectors, which is why it is much easier for people to remember numbers from groups of 4 each, and the maximum tasks that a person can perform simultaneously does not exceed four.

American psychologists conducted a series of different experiments where subjects were asked to perform basic visual, logical, mechanical and cognitive tasks, and came to the conclusion that people, regardless of race, gender and age, are able to simultaneously operate with a maximum of four objects. This statement is true both in relation to experiments with colors (squares of 4 or 5 colors), and in relation to the faces of other people, performing simultaneous work - memorization was limited to four vectors of thinking.

According to psychologists, the vast majority of people have processes limited to 3-4 vectors; for a small number of “lucky” people, the number of vectors reaches 5. The University of Missouri-Columbia says that even in unique cases when people can remember a lot of information the first time , everything ultimately comes down to 4 main vectors, the rest depends on the ability to manage them.

Another conclusion that scientists have come to is the direct dependence of intelligence on memory. "Logical processes in human cognition also seem to be tied to working memory. The information you can simultaneously hold in your head is the information from which you make inferences. The more of this information, the more logical and quick conclusions you draw "says Nelson Cowan, one of the researchers from the United States.

This means that if you forgot why you went to the next room or where you put your glasses, there is no need to worry: scientists say that this is quite normal, since the human brain is not capable of storing a lot of information in working memory. Working memory is an even faster type of short-term memory in the human brain. With some degree of convention, human working memory can be compared to processor cache memory - it is small, but it is the fastest.

Interestingly, in ancient times it was believed that memory processes were carried out in the liver. Then people came to the conclusion that memorable information is deposited in the bones of the skull. The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates believed that there was a kind of wax tablet in the head on which all the necessary information was recorded.

Even at the beginning of the last century, it was believed that a person is born with a brain as clean as a sheet of paper. Modern research shows that embryonic memory is formed within 20 weeks after conception.

By the way, the memory of a four-year-old child is the same as that of an adult. The only difference is that it is not yet developed. And according to recent studies, 19-year-old people have the best memory parameters. For early risers, memory productivity is maximum from 8 to 12 am, and for owls - from 8 to 12 pm

Occupation affects memory. It is preserved better than others in artists (thanks to constant training - memorizing texts), scientists (all parts of the brain work hard) and beekeepers (if they consume bee products, which are rich in microelements that help improve memory). Thus, Mozart, having once listened to Allegri’s polyphonic spiritual work in the Vatican, overnight wrote down an exact copy of the work, note for note. The famous archaeologist Schliemann, through hard training, achieved that he could learn another foreign language in 6-8 weeks.

Research shows that drinking alcohol leads to memory impairment, especially for faces. It is known that the commander Alexander the Great knew 30,000 soldiers of his army by sight.

Among the latest scientific discoveries in the work of memory are studies by scientists at the University of Düsseldorf. They argue that just a few minutes of dozing can significantly improve a person's memory, and emphasize that it is not sleep that brings benefits to memory, but the process of falling asleep. The fact is that during the process of falling asleep there is a period of memory processing, and deep sleep plays a large role in performing several basic functions, such as restoring erroneous connections in the brain.

The material was prepared by the online editors of www.rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Top 5 animals with better memories than humans

Man considers himself the crown of evolution, because it was he who invented airplanes, computers and the Internet. However, in comparison with some species of animals, we cannot stand any competition in terms of remembering numbers, objects, and the effectiveness of long-term and short-term memory. We will introduce you to animals whose memory is much better than that of humans.

Repeatedly “glorified” in science fiction films, chimpanzees actually demonstrate the wonders of short-term memory. A comparative experiment was conducted at Kyoto University (Japan).

A group of chimpanzees were taught to count to ten and held a competition with a group of people on the accuracy of remembering numbers flashing on a computer screen in different sequences. The test consisted of reproducing the location of numbers in the correct ascending order. Chimpanzees performed much better than humans.

The most interesting fact is that the duration of displaying numbers on the screen did not affect the quality of their memorization and reproduction. Scientists have unanimously concluded that chimpanzees have an amazing photographic memory.

While trainers taught sea lions cheap tricks, they noticed the clumsy sloths' remarkable long-term memory abilities. Scientists from the University of California Santa Cruz taught a sea lion named Rio to remember and identify similar objects. She was shown cards with symbols, among which she identified the same ones.

However, the most surprising thing happened ten years later, when scientists decided to repeat this experiment with Rio again. She was shown not only symbols, but also numbers and letters, which she successfully identified and found a pair for. Even after all these years, considering that sea lions live no more than 25 years, Rio showed truly phenomenal long-term memory.

3. Elephant

Elephants always know where each member of their family is, regardless of direction or distance. An elephant is able to remember and track the locations and movements of up to 30 members of its herd.

This ability is realized with the help of a mental map, which the elephant draws up and keeps in memory, updating it with the help of a sensitive sense of smell. Thus, elephants use the “elephant” lobe of their brain in constant activity, which indicates the high performance of working memory of these amazing animals.

What is so special about the memory work of octopuses? Unlike other invertebrates, octopuses have well-developed short-term and long-term memory, which works through one and a half billion neurons.

Moreover, its active memory is absolutely autonomous and does not depend on passive long-term memory. If people could also selectively use their memories, their genius would have no equal.

1. American nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana)

This little bird can remember the location of 33,000 pine nuts. The most amazing thing is that they hide small nuts in fallen leaves and easily find them under the snow in winter. This bird has amazing spatial memory, which helps it remember individual objects and reproduce their location.

Moreover, the hippocampus of the walnut (the part of the brain responsible for the transition of short-term memory to long-term memory) continues to produce neurons into adulthood. This means that while human memory deteriorates with age, hers only gets better.

The amazing animal world continues to amaze us with its wonders. How many more secret abilities do our little brothers keep that are yet to be revealed?

Not the goldfish.

Despite its notorious status as a supposedly well-known fact, the memory span of an aquarium goldfish is not three seconds.

The results of a study conducted at the School of Psychology at the University of Plymouth in 2003 leave no doubt that goldfish have memories for at least three months and can recognize shapes, colors and sounds. In order to receive a reward in the form of a treat, they were taught to press a small lever; when the lever was adjusted so that it worked only an hour a day, the fish quickly learned to activate it at the right time. A number of similar experiments have shown that fish in cages can be easily accustomed to feeding at the same time and in the same place - in response to a particular sound signal.

Goldfish don't crash into the wall of the aquarium not because they can see it, but because they use a pressure-sensitive system called lateral line. Some species of blind cave fish can navigate perfectly in complete darkness using only their lateral line.

And since we’re talking about myths circulating about goldfish, let’s immediately note: a pregnant goldfish was not, is not and cannot be an example of “stupidity.” Goldfish do not get pregnant - they lay eggs, which the males fertilize right in the water.

In principle, there may be a word for a female fish that lays eggs - something like “doda”, “duryndy” or “chipka” - but none of them are mentioned in decent dictionaries.

Which animal is the most dangerous that has ever lived on our planet?

If someone thinks that small fry doesn't make the weather, let them try to sleep in a locked room with a single mosquito.

African proverb

A good half of the people who have died in the entire history of mankind - something like 45 billion - were killed by female mosquitoes (males only bite plants).

The mosquito (or mosquito) carries more than a hundred potentially fatal diseases, including malaria, yellow fever, dengue, encephalitis, filariasis and elephantiasis (elephantiasis). Even today, this insect kills one of us every twelve seconds.

Amazingly, until the end of the 19th century, no one would have thought that mosquitoes were so dangerous. It was not until 1877 that Dr. Sir Patrick Manson - also known as "Mosquito" Manson - proved that elephantiasis was caused by mosquito bites.

Seventeen years later, in 1894, Manson had the idea that mosquitoes might also be the cause of malaria. He invites his student Ronald Ross - at that time still a young doctor practicing in India - to test this hypothesis.

In 1902, Ross received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Manson is elected a member of the Royal Society and knighted. He also becomes the founder of the London School of Tropical Medicine.

Today, 2,500 species of mosquitoes are known, 400 of which are members of the family Anopheles, and 40 of them are capable of transmitting malaria.

Females lay their testicles in water and use the sucked blood to mature them. The eggs hatch into aquatic larvae, or pupae. Unlike most insects, mosquito pupae, also known as mosquito pupae, are very active and can glide quickly through water.

Male mosquitoes buzz at a higher pitch than females; they can be seduced by an ordinary tuning fork that produces the note B.

Female mosquitoes are attracted to moisture, milk, carbon dioxide, body heat and movement. Sweaty people and pregnant women are much more likely to be bitten.

In Spanish and Portuguese the word mosquito means "small fly".

Are marmots harmless?

No, because they kill people. They cough them to death.

Marmots (or marmots)- good-natured paunches, representatives of the squirrel family. They are about the size of a cat and squeak loudly when in danger. However, this is where their charm ends. A species native to Mongolia, the steppe (or common) marmot, is particularly susceptible to a lung infection caused by a bacterium Yersinia pestis and more commonly known as the bubonic plague.

Marmots spread the plague by coughing on their neighbors; infecting fleas, rats and ultimately humans. All the great epidemics that swept through East Asia and devastated Europe came from the steppe Mongolian marmots. Historians estimate that the death toll from the plague exceeded a billion, making the groundhog second only to the malarial mosquito on the list of humanity's greatest killers.

When a groundhog or human falls victim to the plague, the lymph nodes in their armpits and groin become black and swollen (such sores are called "buboes", from the Greek boubon,"groin", hence the word "bubonic"). A Mongol would never touch a marmot’s armpits, because “the soul of a dead hunter is hiding there.”

The remaining parts of the marmot are considered a delicacy in Mongolia. Local hunters perform whole rituals before sneaking up on their prey: they put on fake rabbit ears, dance and wave a yak tail. The caught marmot is roasted whole over hot stones. Alpine marmot fat is valued in Europe as a healing ointment for rheumatism.

Other members of the marmot include the prairie dog and the North American woodchuck. Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. Every year, the groundhog known as Punxsutawney Phil, who lives on Turkey Hill in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, is removed from his electrically heated burrow. The tuxedo-clad “guardians” ask Phil a question: can he see his shadow? If the groundhog whispers “yes,” it means winter will last another six weeks. Since 1887, meteorologist Phil has never been wrong.

The bubonic plague continues to haunt us to this day - the last serious outbreak occurred in India in 1994. Plague is one of three diseases listed in the United States as mandatory quarantine diseases (the other two being yellow fever and cholera).

How do lemmings die?

No, they don't commit mass suicide - if that's what you're thinking.

Apparently, we owe the idea of ​​suicide to the scientific work of 19th-century naturalists who observed (but never understood) the four-year “boom-bust” population cycle of the Norwegian lemming (Lemmus lemmus).

Lemmings have a phenomenal ability to reproduce. One female can give birth to up to eighty offspring annually. Sudden surges in the number of lemmings even led the Scandinavians to believe that they spontaneously reproduce when the weather is favorable. What actually happens is that mild winters lead to overpopulation, which in turn leads to overgrazing. In search of food, lemmings set out to explore uncharted territories and go until they come across a natural obstacle such as an abyss, lake or sea. And the rear ones keep pushing. Panic and confusion are created. There are also accidents. But this is not suicide.

There is another, side myth: supposedly this whole idea of ​​mass suicide was invented in the Disney film “White Wasteland” (1958). The truth here is that the film was completely fake. It was filmed in the Canadian province of Alberta, which was surrounded by land and had never seen lemmings; the animal actors had to be transported all the way from Manitoba, several hundred miles away. The “mass migration” footage was taken with the help of a dozen lemmings on a snow-strewn turntable. And the famous final scene (where the lemmings rush into the sea under the tragic voice-over filled with hopelessness of Winston Hibbler: “Last chance to turn, but you can’t stop them; one more step - and their bodies fall into the bottomless abyss”) was filmed without any special tricks at all: the filmmakers simply threw the poor fellows into the river.

However, Disney is only guilty of trying to recreate a story already ingrained in our brains. This is how it is described in the most influential textbook for children of the early 20th century - Arthur Mee's Children's Encyclopedia, published in 1908: “They go through hills and glens, through gardens, farms, villages, falling into ponds and wells, poisoning water and causing typhus... forward and forward, to the sea, and further - into the water, to their own death... This is terrible and sad, but if not for such a sad outcome, lemmings would have long ago swallowed all of Europe.”

What do chameleons do?

They do not change their color at all depending on the surrounding background.

They have never changed and never will. An absolute myth. Complete fiction. Blatant lie.

The color of a chameleon depends on its emotional state. And if the color suddenly will match with the surrounding background, then this is exactly coincidence, nothing more.

A chameleon changes color when it is frightened, or picked up, or if it has defeated another chameleon in a fight. They change color when a member of the opposite sex comes into their field of vision, and sometimes due to changes in temperature or lighting.

The skin of a chameleon contains several layers of special cells called chromatophores(from Greek chroma,"color" and pherein,"carry"), each with its own color pigments. Changing the ratio between layers forces the skin to reflect different types of light, making the chameleon a kind of walking color music.

It’s even strange how persistent the belief is that chameleons change color depending on their environment. This myth first appeared around 240 BC. e. in the works of Antigonus of Karysta, a minor Greek writer of entertaining stories and short biographies. Aristotle - a much more influential figure and, moreover, writing a century earlier - already then absolutely correctly associated the change in color of the chameleon with its fear. During the Renaissance, the "surrounding background" theory was once again almost completely abandoned. However, since then, views have changed to diametrically opposed ones, and today this is perhaps the only thing that most people “know” about chameleons.

Chameleons can remain completely motionless for several hours at a time. For this reason, and also because chameleons eat very little, for many centuries there was an opinion that they feed on air. This, of course, is also not true.

Word chameleon translated from Greek means “earth lion”. The smallest species is Brookesia minima the length of which is only 25 mm; the biggest, Chamaeleo parsonii, has a length of 610 mm. The common chameleon proudly bears its Latin name Chamaeleo chamaeleon, which sounds just like the song's intro.

A chameleon can rotate and focus its eyes completely independently of each other and look in two opposite directions at the same time. But at the same time he is completely deaf. The Bible prohibits eating chameleons.