A roundup of new and noteworthy insights from the week’s most talked-about studies:
1 FORGETTING THINGS CAN MAKE YOU SMARTER
A scientific paper in Neuron argued that forgetting outdated memories lets the brain clear out details that don’t matter so people can adapt to newer information and make more intelligent decisions.
2 LIGHT-ROAST COFFEE MAY BE BETTER FOR YOU THAN DARK ROAST
A study in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that lighter coffee roasts had higher levels of chlorogenic acid–which acts as an antioxidant–than darker coffee roasts, and that light-roast extract was better at protecting human cells against inflammation and damage.
3 TEENS ARE AS INACTIVE AS OLDER PEOPLE
A study in Preventive Medicine found that adolescents grew less active throughout their teen years, with 19-year-olds spending as much time being sedentary as 60-year-olds. Half of teenage boys and 75% of teenage girls did not meet exercise recommendations of an hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity a day.
–J.Z.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com