So how much data can your brain store?
This sounds like a very scientific question with an answer that many of us could not understand or comprehend. But with pioneering research we have been able to work out not only how much data your brain can store but have discovered a way of representing this in real terms. and it is pretty mind blowing!
The Science Bit
The human brain is an extremely complex organ, it is in charge of keeping every element of our bodies functioning and scientists have barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding what really happens with all of the connections it makes and commands it sends the rest of our bodies.
However, one thing that we do know now through pioneering research is how much data the brain can store. The amount of data we can store is truly astonishing and much more than scientist could ever envisage.
The brain is made up of around about 100 billion neurons which help it to transmit signals all around the body helping us to smell, hear, see, taste, walk, talk, store memories, learn new skills and so much more.
If we look further we know that each one of these neurons make approximately 1000 connections. This creates a huge network of data points, roughly 100 trillion!
New research suggests that the human brain could store up to 1 petabyte of data. What is a petabyte you ask? It is 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes, making our brain better than any hard drive you will ever find.
The Cool Bit
But for those with less of a ‘science brain’ these numbers are hard to comprehend so we have translated these number into real terms.
1 petabyte of data equates to:
- 7 billion copies of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone
- Watching your favourite show on Netflix non-stop for a massive 13.3 years
- Listening to Spotify for almost 3,000 years
- Printing 48,000 miles worth of photos (which is enough to wrap around the worlds equator twice.
- Sorting the DNA of the entire population of the USA and cloning them twice.
So if our brain can hold that much data, why do we always forget things?
According to leading memory researchers, the huge volumes of storage capacity is completely irrelevant to memory. Our storage process is much slower than real-time world experience and this can deteriorate further due to disease and lifestyle.
You can look after your brain with daily brain training, eating a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3, regular exercise and a good sleeping pattern. Make sure you look after your brain.
For more information check out Comms Express.
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