Podcast Summary

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Episode Title: Why can’t we remember being babies?
Host: Jane Lindholm (Vermont Public)
Guest: Professor Nick Turk-Browne, Yale University
Date: January 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode investigates one of childhood’s biggest brain mysteries: “Why can’t we remember being babies?” Hosted by Jane Lindholm, the show features psychology professor Nick Turk-Browne, who specializes in memory. Using questions recorded and sent in by children, the conversation explores how memory works, why we forget, and why those early years often vanish from our minds. The episode is packed with fascinating explanations, relatable examples, and some myth-busting about human and animal memory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Memory Works (03:32–09:06)

• Definition and Basis:

  • Memory is “your brain keeping a record of things that you experience." (Nick Turk-Browne, 03:32)
  • Experiences physically change the brain—the brain is “like a recording device,” constantly altering itself (Nick Turk-Browne, 03:32).

• Different Kinds of Memory:

  • Motor Memory: e.g., riding a bike.
  • Preferences: e.g., liking pizza.
  • Event Memory: e.g., birthday parties, vacations.
  • “Different parts of the brain are storing different parts of the experience.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 04:41)

• Stages of Memory:

  1. Encoding: Recording the initial experience (06:03).
  2. Consolidation: Strengthening/stabilizing memories, especially during sleep—“dreaming as a kind of chewing on your memories.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 06:22)
  3. Retrieval: Recalling memories when needed.

• The Importance of Sleep:

  • Sleep is vital for memory consolidation; it also aids in applying learned knowledge in new situations (Nick Turk-Browne, 09:06).
  • “People remember better... after sleep, but you’re also able to use that experience in new ways. That is the specific benefit of sleep.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 09:06)

2. Why Can’t We Remember Being Babies? (09:47–15:50)

• Infantile Amnesia:

  • Humans generally don’t remember life events from before ages 4–7 (Nick Turk-Browne, 10:57).
  • Even memories from ages 2–3 may evaporate by the time we are older children.

• Possible Reasons:

  • Babies can encode and store memories as early as 12 months.
  • “There are memories being stored by around one year of age, and we lose access to them later on.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 12:45)
  • The problem may be retrieval — accessing those memories becomes difficult or impossible later.
  • “There’s the science fiction possibility that we still have those memories... and we just can’t get back to them using the normal way.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 13:29)

• Early Childhood Learning:

  • Despite not remembering, babies and toddlers are learning at an incredible rate: walking, talking, building relationships, etc.
  • “We’re really, really good at learning early in life... which makes it even more mysterious why we don’t remember anything from that time.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 14:25)

3. Why and How Do We Forget Things? (16:18–21:41)

• Forgetting as a Feature, Not a Flaw:

  • Forgetting helps clear out “interference” from unrelated or less important memories.
  • “Some forgetting is good and it makes your overall memory better... better able to remember the most important things.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 16:18)

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Memory:

  • Short-term memory is fragile and needs focus to be maintained.
  • “In order to keep that memory alive, you have to actively think about it, you have to focus on it.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 17:38)
  • Distractions or the mere passage of time make us lose track of what we wanted to say or do.

4. Nighttime Forgetting & Sleep Talk (19:06–19:47)

• Memories formed while half-asleep or at night are hard to store because the brain is less attentive.
• “If you’re less awake, it’s very hard to pay attention... you’re also just not storing memories very well at that point.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 19:37)

5. Why are Some People More Forgetful? (20:22–21:41)

• Individual Variation:
  • “Some people have better memories... But all of this is pretty normal.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 20:31)
  • Only in cases like dementia or Alzheimer’s does memory loss signal medical issues.

6. What Happens to Forgotten Memories? (21:51–25:05)

• Memories are stored in connections between neurons, called synapses.
• Over time, these connections can be erased, or new neurons can overwrite old connections (“neurogenesis”).
  • “If you lose those connections... those memories can essentially get erased.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 22:13)
• Sometimes it’s not erased, just inaccessible — like a lost book.
• Context is key: We remember things better in the environment where they were learned.

7. Bumping Your Head and Memory Loss (25:05–26:55)

• Significant head injuries can cause temporary or permanent memory loss.
  • “If you have an accident... and you can’t remember something, you definitely should tell a parent... That can be a sign of a concussion.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 25:15)

8. Do Grownups Remember Everything? (26:55–28:44)

• Absolutely not! Adults sometimes just have more knowledge (experience and learned facts), but don’t remember everything.
  • “Grown ups do not remember everything.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 27:06)
  • “The more you know about the world, the easier it is to store memories because you’re taking things you already know and recombining them in new ways.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 27:36)

9. Do Elephants Never Forget? (28:44–31:17)

• Elephants do have excellent social and spatial memories, but so do many animals.
  • “Evolution has endowed our brains with the ability to store memories, and that’s true of almost all species.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 29:47)
• Memory is central to survival across species, not unique to elephants.
• The hippocampus is key for memory in mammals (including humans and elephants).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• About the Garcia Effect:
  “There’s a name for that. It’s called the Garcia effect… because the cheesecake occurred before you got sick, it gets associated with that feeling of sickness…” (Nick Turk-Browne, 07:59)

• On Sleep:
  “Sleep is needed for learning and memory.” (Jane Lindholm, 08:29)

• On Infantile Amnesia:
  “We still have those memories in our brain from when we were babies and we just can’t get back to them using the normal way.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 13:29)

• On Forgetting:
  “Some forgetting is good and it makes your overall memory better... It makes it better able to remember the most important things.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 16:18)

• On Grownups:
  “Grown ups do not remember everything.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 27:06)

• On Animals and Memory:
  “Elephants... do have large brains. They do have... brain structures that are really important for memory are large in elephants, and so they probably do have great memories. But so do sea lions, so do humans, so do mice.” (Nick Turk-Browne, 29:57)

Key Timestamps for Segments

| Segment/Question | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | How does memory work? | 03:32–06:03 | | Memory types & encoding/consolidation/retrieval | 06:03–09:47 | | Why can’t we remember being babies? | 09:47–15:50 | | Why do we forget things? | 16:18–17:22 | | Short-term forgetting (waiting to speak, distractions) | 17:38–19:06 | | Forgetting things said at night/in sleep | 19:06–19:47 | | Why are some people forgetful? | 20:22–21:41 | | What happens to forgotten memories? | 21:51–25:05 | | Bumping your head and memory loss | 25:05–26:55 | | Do grownups remember everything? | 26:55–28:44 | | Do elephants never forget? | 28:44–31:17 |

Conclusion

This episode provided clear, accessible insight into how our memories work, why forgetting is actually useful, and why our baby years are lost to “infantile amnesia.” Professor Nick Turk-Browne broke down complex neuroscience concepts using everyday examples and kid-friendly language. Listeners learned that memory is more than recall—it's vital for learning, adapting, and even for survival in both humans and animals. Most importantly, they discovered that everyone (even grownups and elephants!) sometimes forgets.