IN TERMS of science, 1953 was a remarkable year. Watson and Crick gave DNA its structure. Stanley Miller showed that a spark within an “atmosphere” of methane, ammonia and hydrogen created the basic chemicals of life. And Eugene Aserinsky discovered rapid eye movement (REM) in a sleeping subject.
All three discoveries spawned new fields. But while palaeochemistry and molecular biology have gone from strength to strength, sleep science has struggled to make headway. There is still no satisfying answer to the question, “What is sleep for?”
With hindsight, exploring the mind (whether awake or asleep) was always going to be…
