3 ms·
The function of dream sleep (1983) [pdf]
- montalbano 8y agoGraeme, a distant relative of J.B.S. Haldane, was a fantastic scientist who contributed to a wide range of fields. Sadly, he passed away in April this year. Here's a brief but interesting overview of his life for anyone interested: https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/graeme-mitchison-1944-2018-2/ https://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/graeme-mitchison-1944-2018-2/
- vekker 8y agoGood read, but the conclusions made in this 35-year old paper are a bit outdated. This reverse-learning idea has long been supplanted by the threat-simulation theory: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/reinterpretation-of-dreams-an-evolutionary-hypothesis-of-the-function-of-dreaming/EE0E7DB39E361540D2DDA79C262EDA7E https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain...
- drakenot 8y agoI'm genuinely curious how they test their conclusions with something like this. The 35 year old theory seems equally as likely as the threat-simulation theory. What has made threat-simulation supplant other theories on this topic?
- gcbw2 8y agoWell, the comment you are replying to may have jumped the gun, both are still hypothesis.
- chubot 8y agoFWIW, the book "Why We Sleep" mentions this paper by Francis Crick et. al. and talks about the history of sleep research. I'm in the middle of it because of a Hacker News recommendation, and let me pass on the recommendation. It's great so far :) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381235 For example, I think most of us now know that napping isn't for the "lazy" but it's nice to see the scientific reasoning for it. The author Walker is a great sleep advocate.