FUR SEALS dozing at sea stop themselves drowning by resting one side of their
brain at a time. One hemisphere remains active to control the opposite flipper
so that the seal stays afloat. Such a sophisticated adaptation suggests that
sleep is a vital function. And that is Stanley Coren’s emphatic message in Sleep
Thieves: An Eye-opening Exploration Into the Science & Mysteries of Sleep
(The Free Press, $24, ISBN 0 684 82304 7). Sleep deprivation is a growing
malaise of today’s society, in his opinion, turning people into “intelligent
idiots” with sometimes catastrophic consequences.
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
2
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
3
Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans
4
Are Neanderthals descendants of modern humans?
5
Hospital-acquired pneumonia reduced by daily toothbrushing
6
Parrot uses his broken beak to become a dominant male
7
How autoimmune conditions can unexpectedly drive mental illness
8
A once-fantastical collider could answer physics’ biggest mysteries
9
Yawning has an unexpected influence on the fluid inside your brain
10
Electric vehicle owners could earn thousands by supporting power grid
