Neuroscientists found that memories in all animals can be recalled several hours after learning them despite being forgotten for brief periods of time after being formed. While it is not fully understood why such lapses occur, it is thought to be a necessary part of the brain’s ability to consolidate long-term memories. University of Sussex researchers discovered that causing a disturbance during these memory lapses disrupts the process and appears to prevent the memories from being formed. Their study, published today in the journal Nature Communications, may offer reasons why such a phenomenon has left many of us feeling red-faced and rude. “Scientists have long wondered why the brain shows these memory lapses,” Dr Ildiko Kemenes, who led the study.