As winter sets in, the number of misplaced items seems to grow. Scarves dangling from coat pockets, gloves left behind at coffee shops, and the ever-elusive keys or phones can make anyone feel forgetful. Experts, however, say that losing things is less about having a bad memory and more about how the brain handles attention and memory.

“Rather than having a bad memory, it might be a breakdown at the interface of memory and attention,” said Daniel L. Schacter, a psychology professor at Harvard University and author of The Seven Sins of Memory. He explained that memory operates in three phases: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Misplacing keys or other items often happens because the brain was focused elsewhere when the memory should have been formed. “You have to do a little bit of cognitive work. At the time of encoding, you have to focus your attention,” he said.

Even seasoned memory researchers are not immune. Mark McDaniel, a professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis who has studied memory for nearly 50 years, recently left a hat under a restaurant chair. “I should know how to remember to remember, but at the moment, you don’t think you’re going to forget,” he said.

Experts say strategies can help reduce forgetfulness, especially for items used daily. Schacter recommends creating a consistent place for important objects such as phones, wallets, or keys. For example, he keeps his reading glasses in one spot in the kitchen and always places his phone in the same pocket of his golf bag. “Maybe not always, but a very high percentage of the time,” he said.

For items used less frequently, elaboration can strengthen memory. McDaniel explained that the brain encodes information better when multiple details are attached to an object. Saying out loud where you place an item helps create stronger connections in the brain. “Saying it out loud creates a better encoding because it makes you pay attention, and the verbalisation creates a richer memory,” he said.

Memory champions take this method further with techniques like the “memory palace,” visualizing objects in a structured, familiar environment to aid recall. For everyday items, a simple version works well. For instance, imagining a hat under a chair and connecting it to a reason or consequence—such as avoiding dirt on a table—can help you remember where it was left, even if you forget to pick it up immediately.

Schacter cautioned that a noticeable increase in forgetfulness, especially if it interferes with daily life, may warrant a medical consultation. For most people, though, losing objects is a common and normal result of a distracted mind. By focusing attention and using consistent routines, misplaced items can become far less frequent.

The French Senate on Wednesday rejected a law aimed at regulating assisted dying, sending the bill back to the National Assembly, where it could now be approved without further Senate consent. The proposed legislation would have allowed adults with incurable illnesses to take lethal medication, with assistance from a doctor or nurse only if their physical condition prevented them from doing so themselves.

To qualify, patients must be over 18 and either French citizens or residents of the country. A team of medical professionals would need to confirm that the individual has a grave, incurable illness at an advanced or terminal stage, is experiencing intolerable and untreatable pain, and is seeking lethal medication voluntarily. Patients with severe psychiatric conditions or neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, would not be eligible.

The law would have included a conscience clause for healthcare professionals who object to participating, requiring them to provide patients with names of other practitioners willing to assist.

First proposed in 2024, the bill was approved by the National Assembly in May 2025 before moving to the Senate. However, it was blocked in the upper chamber with 181 votes against and 122 in favour. Critics ranged from right-wing politicians who oppose assisted dying on principle to earlier supporters who considered the final text diluted and insufficient.

On January 21, the Senate rejected Article 4 of the bill, which defined the conditions for medical assistance in dying. The Socialist group in the chamber said the rejection rendered the entire bill “meaningless.” Bruno Retailleau, president of the liberal-conservative Republicans party, argued that instead of new legislation, France should focus on expanding palliative care. “End-of-life care is accompaniment, not abandonment,” Retailleau said on X.

In the same session, the Senate approved a separate law to strengthen access to palliative care across the country. The legislation passed almost unanimously, with 307 votes in favour and 17 against, reflecting broad support for improving end-of-life services.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly, expressed regret at the Senate’s rejection but said the process will continue. “As assisted dying responds to a deep-seated desire among the French people, I regret the Senate’s rejection of this bill today,” she said, noting that a second reading in the Assembly is scheduled for the week of February 16. Braun-Pivet predicted the legislation could be definitively adopted by summer 2026, with the Assembly retaining the final say even if the Senate attempts further amendments.

President Emmanuel Macron pledged in 2022 to introduce an assisted dying law following his reelection. France would join Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain, where euthanasia is permitted under medical supervision. Austria, Germany, and Italy allow physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, while several other European countries, including Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, and Slovenia, are exploring similar legislation.

Health authorities in Spain’s Basque Country have launched an investigation after expired vaccines were administered to 253 people, including dozens of infants, over a two-month period within the region’s public health system. Officials confirmed that none of the affected individuals have reported adverse side effects.

The case came to light following a complaint filed by the EH Bildu parliamentary group to the Basque Parliament. Authorities have contacted all affected individuals, assuring families that the expired vaccines pose no health risks, and are arranging replacement doses to maintain full immunization coverage.

The vaccines involved were hexavalent doses, a key childhood immunization protecting against six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, haemophilus influenzae type B, polio, and hepatitis B. These vaccines are routinely administered to infants under standard immunization schedules. According to the Basque health system, Osakidetza, the expired doses “do not entail any type of health impact or adverse effect.”

Systemic Oversight Failures

EH Bildu has criticized Osakidetza, claiming that some individuals received two expired doses and that the health system failed to monitor expiration dates or follow established protocols. In a legislative initiative in Álava, the party stated that “Osakidetza has not monitored the traceability of the expiry date and has not complied with the established procedures and protocols,” as reported by Basque public broadcaster EITB.

The expired vaccines were administered across 12 of the 13 integrated health organizations in the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain with its own autonomous health system.

Families Contacted for Revaccination

Alberto Martínez, the Basque Minister of Health from the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), said in a statement that all cases have been identified and families are being directly informed. He added that health centers began contacting affected families on Wednesday to schedule replacement doses. Both Osakidetza and Spain’s national medicines agency, along with the Basque Vaccine Advisory Council and the vaccine manufacturer, recommend that all affected individuals receive revaccination to ensure full protection.

Second Vaccine Controversy in Recent Months

This incident follows a separate vaccine-related scandal in the region just four months ago. In September 2025, a trial began against a pediatric nurse in Santurtzi, Biscay province, accused of pretending to vaccinate children while discarding the vials. Prosecutors estimate that more than 400 children were left unvaccinated in 2021 and 2022 as a result.

Together, the two incidents have raised concerns about vaccine administration and oversight in the Basque health system. Authorities stress that while procedural failures are under investigation, the expired vaccines administered in the recent case pose no health risk to recipients.