X-Message-Number: 12866
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: one more point: about other theories of memory
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 1999 23:51:06 +1100 (EST)

Hi everyone!

I forgot to answer one question, basically about the existence of OTHER
theories of how memory works.

This can get quite involved because there are lots of people out their
with their own theories. However there is one fundamental point I will
make first of all: no, science does not work by eventually accepting one
of the obscure theories which formerly were denigrated. Such theories
always exist and always have existed, and we'd find our fundamental ideas
changing daily if we did that.

Instead, scientists generally try to apply one common theory to new 
phenomena. They start looking around for a new basic theory only if all
these attempts to apply an older one start to either fail completely or
else come up with intuitively wrong ideas (like epicycles within epicycles
within epicycles...). 

In any case, here are two ideas I know of. I'm sure there are more.

1. That our memory is somehow contained in the microtubules which run
   through our nerve processes. Exactly how isn't fully specified.

2. That our brain forms special proteins which by their sequence of amino
   acids encode our memories.

There is also at least one theory which claims that quantum physicss is
involed in our memory storage. I don't have any source for that one. 



				Best and long long life,

						Thomas Donaldson

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