--- title: "Scientists Zap Birds’ Brains With Light to Implant False Memories" description: "A team of researchers has figured out a way to implant memories in the brains of young zebra finches, thereby teaching them how to sing." date: "2019-10-04" modified: "2019-10-04" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/zap-birds-brains-implant-memories" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "birds" - "memory" - "optogenetics" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Zap Birds’ Brains With Light to Implant False Memories ![A team of researchers have figured out a way to implant memories in the brains of young zebra finches, thereby teaching them how to sing.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Bird Brained Most zebra finches learn to sing by mimicking the songs of their parents. But now, a team of University of Texas Southwestern researchers has managed to implant memories of songs the birds had never heard before right into the animals' brains — and they did so using [patterns of light.]() ## Familiar Tune In a [paper]() published in the journal *Science* on Thursday, the researchers detail how they inserted genes into specific neurons related to song-learning in the birds' brains. Those genes allowed the researchers to "activate" the neurons using light. The longer they shone a light on a certain neuron pathway, the longer the syllables of a bird's song. By alternating short and long durations of light exposure, the team taught the bird its "song memories." "This is the first time we have confirmed brain regions that encode behavioral-goal memories — those memories that guide us when we want to imitate anything from speech to learning the piano," researcher Todd Roberts [said in a press release](). ## False Memories While impressive, this research doesn't mean we can now implant memories in humans — that's still science fiction. But the study could shine a light, so to say, on new ways to identify parts of the human brain that influence the way we speak and make sounds. "The human brain and the pathways associated with speech and language are immensely more complicated than the songbird's circuitry," Roberts said. "But our research is providing strong clues of where to look for more insight on neurodevelopmental disorders." **READ MORE:** [Implanting false memories in a bird's brain changes its tune]() \[*New Scientist*\] **More on memories:** *[Zapping Elderly People’s Brains Supercharges Their Working Memory]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()