Google’s patented and powerful search algorithm, PageRank, may mimic the way the human brain retrieves information.

Our memory for words can be modelled as a network in which each point represents a different word, with each linked to words that relate to it. In tests against other word-retrieval algorithms, PageRank most clearly matched the human model (Psychological Science, vol 18, p 1069).

The results suggest human memory studies could be improved by examining the tricks that search engines employ, and vice versa.