Here's a news story that suggests dinosaurs couldn't get good sleep, and thus went extinct, because they were worried about climate change. That's it! Global warming or not, I'm nodding off irregardless:
THEIR sudden demise millions of years ago has been blamed on everything from huge volcanoes and apocalyptic tsunamis to giant meteor impacts, even alien invasions.
But could it be dinosaurs became extinct simply because they didn't get the right kind of sleep? Researchers claim the creatures' sleeping style meant they could not adapt to their changing environment, leaving them unable to cope with freak climate changes.
Most animals and birds enjoy two different types of slumber - rapid eye movement (REM) and "slow-wave" sleep. Scientists believe slow-wave sleeping patterns allow the brain to carry out important functions that improve the way it works. However, reptiles have only REM sleep, so they cannot develop their ability to respond to change.
... "Unlike mammals, reptiles do not have the cognitive abilities to experience slow-wave sleep, and slow-wave sleep is important as arguably it helps a creature perform new tasks and improve its memory."
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