Move over, elephants. Dogs have remarkable memories, researchers say

Your dog remembers more than you might think. A new study that tested the memory of man's best friend found that dogs exhibit something akin to episodic memory -- a process that's been well documented in humans, but difficult to prove in other animals. In experiments, the dogs were able to recall human actions even when they weren't expecting to be tested on what they observed, according to a report published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology. The findings show that episodic memory, thought to be linked to self-awareness, may extend well beyond humans to species outside of the primate lineage. Scientists have long wondered whether other animals have something like episodic memory, which allows us to recall specific past events even though they may not have been particularly important when they happened.