Naturebang

Rainbowfish and the Mysteries of Memory


Listen Later

Becky Ripley and Emily Knight dive into the watery world of rainbowfish to confront the age-old myth that fish have bad memories. In actual fact, they are much more intelligent than we like to think, with an incredible capacity for learning and memory, as seen in almost all fish species. Their ability to remember complex things over a long period of time means they can build social relationships, navigate huge distances, and even form cultures, as knowledge is passed down over generations.

So, the science has spoken: fish have way better memories than we like to think. But what about us humans? Well, turns out our memories are way worse than we like to think. From the very first perceptual moment when you experience something, your brain is constantly filtering your memories so that it only keeps the information that it thinks you need. And the more you recount a memory, the more it deviates from "the truth". Which means, in reality, we forget most of our lives, and we misremember most of the rest! Begging the question: are we who we think we are?

Featuring Professor Culum Brown, head of The Fish Lab at Macquarie University, and Dr Julia Shaw, criminal psychologist at UCL and author of 'The Memory Illusion'. Produced and presented by Emily Knight and Becky Ripley.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

NaturebangBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

10 ratings


More shows like Naturebang

View all
More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

878 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,108 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,960 Listeners

No Such Thing As A Fish by No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

4,885 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

485 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

405 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

765 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

237 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

477 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

349 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

166 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,220 Listeners

The world, the universe and us by New Scientist

The world, the universe and us

113 Listeners

The Rest Is Entertainment by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Entertainment

941 Listeners

Rare Earth by BBC Radio 4

Rare Earth

13 Listeners