Why chinstrap penguins sleep thousands of times a day
But only for four seconds at a time
Sleep is a bit of an evolutionary mystery. A sleeping animal cannot look for food, defend its territory, flee from danger or find a mate. The fact that sleep is nonetheless ubiquitous among animals suggests its restorative powers are essential. So does the fact that, if laboratory animals are deprived of it for long enough, they die.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Forty thousand winks near the sea”
From the December 2nd 2023 edition
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Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
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Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
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They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else