Dear members—
I have a terrible memory for names, a common problem I know. It made me all the more intrigued to watch Michael Tabb’s latest episode of Exceptional Humans, which this week focuses on people who can remember just about every day of their adult lives.
This superpower has a name—highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM)—and is of intense interest to scientists. They hope to uncover specific brain circuits that could one day be stimulated in people who have trouble remembering their own lives—like people with Alzheimer’s disease.
As the research has progressed it has uncovered an unexpected twist. People with HSAM may not have superior memories after all, but rather an inability to forget. And that discovery is changing our understanding of how memory works.
You can watch the episode here.
QUARTZ PRESENTS
This week, we’ve published a presentation on Amazon’s logistics business. The e-commerce behemoth had already pulled off that rare feat of limitless choice at competitive prices. When it added ever-faster delivery to that potent brew, it became a seemingly unstoppable force that’s reshaping the global retail landscape and upending supply chain management.
Here’s one slide showing how the sheer scale of Amazon’s warehouse and shipping operations is making it an influential player in the logistics industry:
You can view all of our presentations, which we produce exclusively for members, here. They’re designed to give you a fast read on a topic, which you can reformat and edit as you wish.
THE FUTURE OF MEAT
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s field guide on the next development in meat production: cell-cultured meat, expected to land on a dinner plate near you soon. Grown from cells in bioreactors best described as mechanical cows, cell-cultured meat overcomes many of the ethical and environmental problems with meat from slaughtered animals, and it improves on some of the nutritional issues of vegetable-based meat alternatives.
But that doesn’t mean its roll out to consumers is going to be easy. For one thing, governments have no idea how to regulate its safety.
To discuss that and other questions about the future of meat, join Quartz reporter and author of the forthcoming book, Billion Dollar Burger, Chase Purdy and science editor Katie Palmer on a call at 11am ET today.
We’ll be taking questions and comments live on the video conference call at this time, accessible at the usual location. You can also send questions in advance to members@qz.com.
If you’d like to dial in, use the following numbers:
UK: 0800-014 8469
USA: 866-226 4650
For all of the numbers, the access code is 722 994 440.
With best wishes for a relaxing and thought-filled weekend.
Xana Antunes
Executive editor, Quartz