A look into the REM dreams of the animal kingdom
News Summary
- Researchers are finding signs of REM sleep in a broader array of animals than ever before in spiders lizards cuttlefish zebrafish
- The growing tally has some researchers wondering whether dreaming a state once thought to be limited to human beings is far more widespread than once thought REM sleep is generally characterized by rapid eye movements the temporary paralysis of skeletal muscles periodic body twitches and increases in brain activity breathing and heart rate
- If spiders have REM sleep might dreams also unfold in their poppy seed size brains says Daniela R ssler a behavioral ecologist in Germany
Enlarge/ A cuttlefish swims in an aquarium at the Scientific Center of Kuwait on March 20, 2016, in Kuwait City. 9 with Young jumping spiders dangle by a thread through the night, in a box, in a [+5128 chars]
