Memory like a goldfish? Why this could be a good thing
They famously have a three-second memory span – or do they? One of the world’s top fish-cognition experts begs to differ
June 2024
Notes and queries
Readers reply: why is it easier to remember that I’ve forgotten something than to remember what I’ve forgotten?
Notes and queries
Why is it easier to remember that I’ve forgotten something than to remember what I’ve forgotten?
April 2024
Try something new to stop the days whizzing past, researchers suggest
It’s that spring cleaning moment, when you open the wardrobe and your past fashion lives flash by
Emma Brockes
March 2024
The big idea
The big idea: why am I so forgetful?
A failing memory can be frustrating, but it may be a sign your brain is working exactly as it should
Fridge magnets can be cool aid to holiday memory recall, study finds
Some participants in Liverpool University survey said the travel mementoes were more important to them than photographs
‘All it takes is a quick walk’: how a few minutes’ exercise can unleash creativity – even if you hate it
Do you have your best ideas while running to the bus stop, or walking the dog? You’re not alone. Researchers are finding remarkable links between movement and blue-sky thinking
January 2024
‘That’s just normal forgetting’: the difference between memory loss and dementia – and how to protect your brain
Today in Focus
How to reboot your memory for 2024
December 2023
Chimps can recognise peers decades later – especially if they got on well
Bonobos and chimps demonstrate longest long-term memory ever found in nonhuman animals, scientists say
November 2023
From the Observer archive
Among the ‘memory athletes’, 1971
Covid pandemic ‘had lasting impact’ on brain health of people aged 50 or over
October 2023
Britons go map-crazy, with geographical games and books becoming bestsellers
London tube game Metro Memory is a surprise hit, with geography books also finding favour with readers
September 2023
Science Weekly
Deja vu’s lesser-known opposite: why do we experience jamais vu? – podcast
The big idea
The big idea: are memories fact or fiction?
August 2023
Republic of Parenthood
Having a baby does mess with your memory. I’m glad I recorded the truth – good and bad – in real time
Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Most of us quickly forget the reality of early parenthood, but writing it all down was one of the best things I’ve ever done, writes Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
July 2023
‘Brain fog’ of long Covid comparable to ageing 10 years, study finds
Symptoms of infection can last two years, but researchers find no lasting cognitive impairment after individuals fully recover
‘I’m a chef and I forgot how to bake a cake’: why trauma often leads to brain fog and amnesia
Shock, stress and grief can have a devastating effect on memory – but there are ways to bring it back
Middle-aged people ‘need sleep to see mental health benefits of exercise’
Researchers find physically active short sleepers in their 50s and 60s suffer cognitive decline as fast as those who do less exercise
