Ever wonder how squirrels find their nuts and stay well fed, even during the coldest parts of the winter? If you believe it's related to a squirrel's acute sense of smell, guess again...

Fact is, an amateur scientist living in the U.K. won a prize last year from NewScientist magazine for demonstrating how squirrels use their spatial memory, not their sense of smell.

Unfortunately, humans may not be so lucky, as a recent study found most folks reach their cognitive peak as early as age 27. As the flow of blood to the brain slows down, so does the production of receptors on brain cells as well as the gradual loss of receptors on brain cells. Long story short, as many as two-thirds of Baby Boomers over age 50 may have some memory loss.

That said, memory loss isn't a given, and there are a great many things you can do to preserve and improve your memory, without the need for a single drug. Read about them here: Memory Food: The Many Ways to Protect Your Brain.

New Scientist Blogs: The Last Word February 13, 2008

New York Times June 11, 2009