Although it sounds like a small-scale question, solving the mystery of ‘do fish sleep?’ demands a deep and surprising dive into aquatic biology. Yes: at surface-level, many fish seem like they are snoozing at times. They become less responsive, with their heart rates slowing and overall movement limited. But this rest isn’t the same as human shut-eye. For starters, fish can’t actually shut their eyes – they don’t have any eyelids. Secondly, there’s one big neurological difference between fish and people. “Regions of the brain become much less active when humans sleep – particularly in the neocortex, the region that processes most high cognition. But fish don’t have a neocortex, so the two brains are very difficult to compare,” explains Dr Michael Webster , marine biologist at the University of St Andrews. “It’s also very hard to know what is happening in a fish’s brain during sleep – you can’t just toss your goldfish into a CT scanner. Most of what scientists know about this topic has been found studying one type of fish, the zebrafish. Their translucent skin means that with a powerful enough microscope you can actually zoom in on individual brain cells and see how they’re […]
Latest Articles
5 Unusual Waste Products That Have Been Recycled Into Something New
Takeaways: Transitioning to a circular economy (minimizing resources, reducing waste and carbon emissions) is the way forward to protecting the planet.
Belgian company PermaFungi...
Nestlé Has Cut Greenhouse Gases by 4 Million Tons Since 2018. How?
Takeaways: Nestle's mission is to be environmentally sustainable and is working towards net-zero emissions by 2050.
Some of the things the company is doing...
Weaving Food in Antimicrobial Threads Could Replace Plastic Wrap and Cut Waste
Takeaways: Researchers from Harvard University may have found a way to tackle food waste sustainably.
They have created an antimicrobial thread which coats the...
Uber Goes Full-Throttle on Electric Vehicles
Takeaways: Uber is committing to being a fully electric, zero-emission platform by 2030 in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The company hopes to transition...
IKEA Focuses on Forestry Management, Energy Efficiency, Adding Renewables
Takeaways: To reduce their CO2 emissions, IKEA makes furniture from wood harvested from rainforest nations.
As of 2017, the company has sourced over half of...
Using Candy and Jam to Protect Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest
Takeaways: Luiz Henrique Lopes Ferreira is a 22-year-old who makes and sells candies, jam and liqueurs from more than a hundred varieties of local...