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Article: Animal habits help shed light on sleep, dreams in people.(The Dallas Morning News)
- Article from:
- Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service
- Article date:
- November 5, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Pondering bizarre modes of animal sleep could keep you up all night.
Possums sleep 18 hours a day. Dolphins rest half their brain at a time. Bird dreams last well under a minute.
Scientists have compared sleep habits of reptiles, birds and more than 100 types of mammals to unlock mysteries such as what sleep and dreams are for.
"I see animals as a window into a vast unknown of sleep science questions," says Charles Amlaner, a sleep researcher at Indiana State University.
For example, research on slumbering animals has revealed that size influences how much they should sleep. Other findings hint at a purpose for the dreamlike REM ...