logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
30m 50s

How We Remember

The Bertarelli Foundation
About this episode

What is a memory made of? Which parts of the brain help us remember? And what can taxi drivers’ brains tell us about how memories are made? 

In this episode of How We’re Wired, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Machin as she dives into the science of memory, and how we remember. We’ll unpick the structures of the brain that are involved in making memories, and attend an MRI scan of a London cabbie to understand what makes London drivers’ brains so fascinating to neuroscientists.  

With special thanks to Mark, Stephanie, Amy Milton, and Hugo Spiers.  

How We’re Wired is a Fresh Air Production for The Bertarelli Foundation. Subscribe or follow now so you never miss an episode.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Nov 2023
When We Ask You A Question
What do you want to know about the brain? What mysteries of human behaviour do you want to understand? And what incredible awards has How We're Wired won in the 13th Annual Lovies? In this special episode, Dr Anna Machin shares some good news, and asks a quick favour... Send ques ... Show More
2m 15s
Jul 2023
Finale - How Are We Wired?
How do our brains get wired up in the womb? Why is it important that nerve cells find the correct partners to form connections? And how has our understanding of this vital process changed over the last 40 years? In this special episode, join evolutionary anthropologist Dr Anna Ma ... Show More
35m 41s
Jul 2023
Introducing... Ocean Matters
How We're Wired season 1's final episode will be with you next week, but in the meantime, why not check out our sister podcast Ocean Matters? Our ocean is the earth's defining feature. But the blue of our blue planet is so much more than just a colour. It is rich with life and pl ... Show More
4m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Too Many Connections? How Aging Impacts Memory and Recall
How does the brain’s memory function change as we grow older? What recent discoveries are helping us understand these changes better? In this episode of Under the Cortex, Özge Gürcanlı Fischer Baum welcomes Karen Campbell of Brock University to discuss how aging impacts memory. C ... Show More
22m 2s
Feb 2025
#334: The Memory Doc on The DISTURBING Truth About Why your Memories are a lie
Is your memory a reliable record of the past? Or a story your brain keeps rewriting?   Leading neuroscientist Dr Charan Ranganath, aka The Memory Doc, joins us on Unscripted With Spencer Lodge, to reveal how our brains store, distort, and reshape our memories.   From false memori ... Show More
1h 8m
Apr 2024
The Science Behind Memory - Dr. Charan Ranganath : 1152
In today’s episode you’ll explore the complexities of memory with Dr. Charan Ranganath, a top expert in cognitive neuroscience. This episode takes you through the fascinating ways our brains record, process, and utilize memories to navigate daily life and shape our futures. You’l ... Show More
1h 21m
May 12
Forget About It!
Forgetting something — whether it's a colleague's name or where we put our keys — can be deeply frustrating. This week, psychologist Ciara Greene helps us explore the science of forgetting. We look at why our minds hold on to some memories for a lifetime, but discard others withi ... Show More
48m 1s
Oct 2024
Special Episode: Dr. Charan Ranganath & Why We Remember
How is it that we can’t remember where we put our keys or the name of the person we just met, but we can recall in excruciating detail the embarrassing interaction we had at the grocery store ten years ago? Sometimes it seems like our memory works against us more than it does for ... Show More
57m 27s
Sep 2024
How to Improve Memory & Focus Using Science Protocols | Dr. Charan Ranganath
In this episode, my guest is Dr. Charan Ranganath, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Davis, and a world expert on the neuroscience of memory. We discuss how memory works, what causes diseases of dementia like Alzheimer’s, and science ... Show More
2h 39m
Mar 2025
Everyday Neuro 024: Mental Time Travel – How the Hippocampus Enables Recalling the Past and Imagining the Future
In this episode, dedicated to the pioneering researcher Professor Eleanor Maguire, I talk about how the hippocampus acts like a time machine, to help us remember events and special moments in our past, navigate the present and travel into the future. I talk about Maguire’s ground ... Show More
21m 15s
May 10
#939 - Dr Charan Ranganath - The Neuroscience Of How To Improve Your Memory & Focus
Dr. Charan Ranganath is a cognitive neuroscientist, professor, and an author. What are memories? Our brains are shaped by countless experiences, but how exactly do we store these stories? Learn what makes some memories stick, why others fade, and how our minds handle the ones we' ... Show More
1h 15m
Jun 26
A Ridiculous History of Brain Science, with Jorge Cham
Today, we all generally understand that the brain is responsible for what we call personality and thought -- yet this wasn't always the case. Once humans figured out the brain was more than a weird lump in the skull, it took centuries of trial and error, along with quack science, ... Show More
56m 6s
Jul 2024
Why You Remember and Why You Forget & Unusual Origins of Great Inventions
When you go out to eat, the restaurant wants you to spend money. Nothing wrong with that. That’s how they stay in business. Still, you should be aware that they don’t leave it to chance. One thing they do is engineer the menu to nudge you you spend. This episode begins by describ ... Show More
50m 34s