EPISODE · Dec 14, 2010 · 7 MIN
Ethics of Erasing Memory
from NOVA scienceNOW · host WGBH Science Unit
If you could take a drug that could erase your memories, would you do it? It’s not such a hypothetical question—neuroscientists have identified a drug that can wipe out memory in rats. It’s not something that could be used on humans, but its existence raises a lot of big ethical issues. To sort those out, we talked to Art Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn where the science stands on memory-erasing drugs, go to pbs.org/nova/sciencenow
What this episode covers
If you could take a drug that could erase your memories, would you do it? It’s not such a hypothetical question—neuroscientists have identified a drug that can wipe out memory in rats. It’s not something that could be used on humans, but its existence raises a lot of big ethical issues. To sort those out, we talked to Art Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn where the science stands on memory-erasing drugs, go to pbs.org/nova/sciencenow
NOW PLAYING
Ethics of Erasing Memory
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Jul 17, 2026 ·48m
Jul 16, 2026 ·53m
Jul 10, 2026 ·68m
Jul 9, 2026 ·41m
Jul 3, 2026 ·42m