Editing 1345: Answers
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | [[Cueball]] claims that humans are driven by their curiosity, which is never-ending. [[Megan]] responds by noting that everyone spends approximately eight hours per day in an unconscious state of {{w|sleep}}, but no one has yet pinned down the biological purpose of sleep. Despite this obvious mystery, most people aren't "losing sleep over it. | + | [[Cueball]] claims that humans are driven by their curiosity, which is never-ending. [[Megan]] responds by noting that everyone spends approximately eight hours per day in an unconscious state of {{w|sleep}}, but no one has yet pinned down the biological purpose of sleep. Despite this obvious mystery, most people aren't "losing sleep over it"... This implies that Cueball's observed curiosity has a perceptible and proximate limit. |
− | This is not to suggest that scientists ''aren't'' researching sleep | + | This is not to suggest that scientists ''aren't'' researching sleep every day — but see this {{w|Sleep study}} — we just haven't found any satisfactory answers yet. Some popular hypotheses are to allow the brain a period to consolidate memories and to give the body a chance to repair itself. |
− | The title text quotes {{w|William Dement}}: people sleep "because we get sleepy." | + | The title text quotes {{w|William Dement}}: people sleep "because we get sleepy."[http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/max-text Secrets of sleep] This of course is dodging the underlying issue. That this non-explanation is the best answer that a leading sleep researcher can provide, shows how little anyone knows about the subject. This may be an oblique reference to the French playwright Moliere [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dormitive_principle dormitive principle], who created a satirical character who claimed to have discovered the answer to a popular question: The reason opium makes someone sleepy, said the character, a doctor, was that it contained a "dormitive principle" (i.e., something that makes someone sleepy). |
− | + | At [[203|Hallucinations]], Randall expressed similar surprise at the lack of interest in the nature of sleep. | |
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==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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