A physical-chemical basis for memory discovered: What about consciousness & free will?

One of the central issues in neuroscience is understanding the basis of memory. Assuming that memory comes from just (1) regular physical matter (atoms, molecules, cells, etc.), and (2) forces known to science, then this discovery could go a long way toward understanding the basis of memory. A SciAm article describes the discovery:

Brain Scientists Finally Discover the 

Glue that Makes Memories Stick for a Lifetime

A long-running research endeavor reveals key chemical players that cement memories in place—and still more have yet to be discovered 

A milestone in the effort to answer this question came in the early 1970s, with the discovery of a phenomenon called long-term potentiation, or LTP. Scientists found that electrically stimulating a synapse that connects two neurons causes a long-lasting increase in how well that connection transmits signals. Scientists say simply that the “synaptic strength” has increased. This is widely believed to be the process underlying memory. Networks of neural connections of varying strengths are thought to be what memories are made of.

A synapse between two neurons, A and B

In the search for molecules that enable LTP, two main contenders emerged. One, called PKMzeta (protein kinase Mzeta), made a big splash when a 2006 study showed that blocking it erased memories for places in rats. If obstructing a molecule erases memories, researchers reasoned, that event must be essential to the process the brain uses to maintain memories.

[There were some problems with the 2006 study that raised questions about the PKMzeta memory hypothesis]

A new study published in Science Advances by Sacktor, Fenton and their colleagues plugs these holes. The research suggests that PKMzeta works alongside another molecule, called KIBRA (kidney and brain expressed adaptor protein), which attaches to synapses activated during learning, effectively “tagging” them. KIBRA couples with PKMzeta, which then keeps the tagged synapses strengthened.

A synapse showing the PKMzeta and KIBRA "glue" or

"tag" that strengthens the electrical-chemical connection 

between synapses involved in long-term memory

This reinforces one postulated mechanism of long-term memory formation. There are a couple of others the SciAm article discusses. There could be other memory mechanisms that remain unknown. Regardless, this PKMzeta-KIBRA tag discovery appears to be a fundamental step forward. Other memory-forming mechanisms may exist, but at least this one appears to rely only on physical matter and known forces in nature.

What about consciousness and free will?

This research still cannot rule out involvement of something not known to science. Neurons in the human brain can have thousands of synapse connections with approximately 1,000 to 10,000 other neurons. Only some of those are strengthened with the PKMzeta-KIBRA tag the researchers found. But why only some are strengthened is still unknown. Is that selective biological activity a manifestation of consciousness or free will? Maybe so.

Imagine a halo of thousands of synapses connecting 

to thousands of other neurons

The matter and known forces of nature alone still cannot explain consciousness or free will, assuming free will exists. Consciousness does seem to exist and free will probably does too. There seems to be an inexplicable a leap between matter and known forces of nature and manifestations of the human mind such as consciousness and free will.

At the moment, I cannot envision an experiment to test for a way(s) to discover a basis for consciousness based on what we currently know about matter and known forces of nature. Maybe experts can think of one. But at present, there is no definitive evidence that human consciousness requires anything beyond physical matter and the forces of nature. Maybe consciousness and free will are emergent properties of matter and forces of nature. 

Current technology cannot yet fully explain or detect consciousness solely within known material-physical processes. Things like AI-assisted "brain decoding" techniques can reconstruct speech and imagery from brain activity with increasing fidelity. Thoughts processes through AI have been transmitted over the internet, but is a thought like that conscious? I doubt it. Things like that can be called correlates of consciousness, but they are not necessarily consciousness itself.  

There are things we still do not understand. Probably always will be.

If it is all pre-programmed, then maybe 

we do not have free will?