Although we don’t carry our homes on our backs, nor do we release sulphuric acid, we still have a whole lot more in common with snails than you think. Especially when it comes to the brain.
Sea snails have 20,000 neurons. Human on the other hand have 100 billion. Nonetheless, scientists have been doing research of sea snails for quite a while, and have discovered that many marine organisms actually function just as mammals do. The only difference is that the processes of keeping them alive are a lot more simple.
Researchers from UCLA managed to transfer memories of being shocked between marine snails. Animal lovers, don’t worry, the shocks did not hurt them. And this might mean that we will be eventually able to do the same with humans.
In order to do so, we firstly need to understand how the brain stores memories. According to the UCLA team, one day we may be able to enhance, depress, or modify memories. This could be incredibly beneficial for those with early-stage Alzheimers.