Memory Squid, greatly enlarged
The Bio-Memetic Neural Data Augmentation Organism [commonly called "Memory Squid"] is a small bioengineered organism used to transfer information directly into the human brain.
The Memory Squid is based on a parasitical organism native to the seas of the moon Canaan in the Bountiful System. In its natural form, the baseline organism is a parasite that attacks the human brain. A small number of parasites can be tolerated for a time; however, large colonies can cause delirium, severe pain, hemoraging and death. A curious side effect of infection with the parasite is that victims often suffer intense delusions of swimming drowning. This was eventually linked to an ability by the organism to transfer the sensation of floating in its native underwater environment to the mind of its host.
Samples were brought to Republic for study at the Bureau of Operative Bio-Engineering Research [BOOBER] in the Solar Year 7224. A researcher who had been studying genetic data encoding for transfer to the human mind was intrigued by the organism's ability to transfer "memories" and believed they could be adapted to more practical purposes. The research team had been searching for a suitable transfer medium for many years. After thousands of experiments with bioengineered organisms based on the Canaan parasite, the first tests of the organism for data transfer took place in SY 7264. Four decades later, the Republic Ministries of Medicine, Public Health, Innovation, and Citizen Safety approved the organisms for public use.
Memory Squids were originally produced through the BioEngineered Commodity Production Facility Number 5 in the City of Meaningful Works on Republic. They were subsequently licensed for production on a number of worlds in the Perseus Quadrant.
The BMNDA Organism is approximately 2mm in size. The organism is typically injected into the ear canal, through the nasal cavity, or at the base of the spine. It travels to a position near the hippocampus and downloads its data into the pathways to the cerebral cortex, a process which takes several minutes. The Memory Squid can survive for four or five days after completing its mission before breaking up and being disposed by the human autoimmune system. They can be removed surgically if they fail to break up.
Memory Squids are used primarily in academia, research, and Government operations for rapid transfer of essential data. In its most common form, the upper practical limit of a Memory Squid's capability of transferring an amount of data equivalent to:
· 60,000 to 66,000 words of text
· 80 - 100 recipes for moderately complex dishes
· Instructions to operate a specific item of heavy machinery,
· 1,400 images of cats in various amusing poses.
The Memory Squid cannot impart the ability to perform physical actions that require practice and/or muscle memory; such as athletic performance or martial arts.
A corollary development was the Memory Extraction squid; a squid capable of extracting memories from a human host. As of the late 74th solar century, only limited success has been achieved on this front.