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The South Atlantic Anomaly (or SAA) is the region where Earth's inner van Allen radiation belt makes its closest approach to the planet's surface. Thus, for a given altitude, the radiation intensity is greater within this region than elsewhere. The van Allen radiation belts are symmetric with the Earth's magnetic axis, which is tilted with respect to the Earth's rotational axis by an angle of ~11 degrees. Additionally, the magnetic axis is offset from the rotational axis by ~450 kilometers (280 miles). Because of the tilt and offset, the inner van Allen belt is closest to the Earth's surface over the south Atlantic ocean, and farthest from the Earth's surface over the north Pacific ocean.

And when all these things exist, what will happen to our memories? As the Atlantic article suggests, we may find that the net effect is to "scatter our attention and diffuse our concentration," - or, as it argues in another part, we could spur a "golden age of intellectual discovery and universal wisdom." The result may well depend on the quality of the efforts.