• Question: What is the most amount of data can the human brain can store?

    Asked by oliverbright to Alan, Damian, Emma, Liam, Luca on 17 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Emma Ross

      Emma Ross answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      It’s hard to imagine that we will ever be able to measure the actual amount of data our brains can store. We can test people’s memory, and their ability to do maths and science, but the are some parts of the brain which allow us to function without even thinking about it…like our brain stem which controls our breathing and changes in our body temperature. It is hard to know ‘how much’ data is stored in these parts of the brain because its hard to get to them in an alive human, and they work without us even knowing!

    • Photo: Liam Bagley

      Liam Bagley answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      Oliver, Brilliant question!
      I think as Emma says it isn’t really possible now to measure the data a human brain can store. I think it also varies from person to person, scientific study shows people have different memory and can remember information a lot better than others.
      As Emma says, our hypothalamus is about the size of our fingertip, and it controls so much in our bodies, like temperature, tiredness, how hungry we are when we sleep and so much more! If such a small area can control so much, then the whole brain and its stem could hold so much more

      Liam

Comments