Clips'Sleepless' gene hints at the nature of slumber
First Clipped on Jul. 25, 2008
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Flies with a single genetic mutation sleep 80% less than normal flies, and some get by with no shut-eye at all.
The mutation – in a gene that controls how brain cells fire and now dubbed Sleepless – suggests that, at the most basic level, sleep is caused by a slowdown in certain neurons.
