Episode
NOVA: Mysteries of Sleep
Overview
From fruit flies to whales, virtually every animal sleeps. But why? Why do we need to spend nearly a third of our lives in such a defenseless state? Scientists are peering more deeply into the sleeping brain than ever before, discovering just how powerful sleep can be, playing a role in everything from memory retention and emotional regulation to removing waste from our brains.
Details
- Series
- NOVA
- Season
- Season 47
- Episode
- Episode 4
- Air date
- 2020-02-26
- Runtime
- 55 min
Episode context
Mysteries of Sleep is Episode 4 in Season 47 of NOVA. It aired on 2020-02-26. The runtime is 55 min.
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Episode 3: Cat Tales
Worshipped as a goddess, condemned as satanic, and spun into a stunning array of breeds, cats have long fascinated humans. But did we ever really domesticate them? And what can science tell us about our most mysterious companions?
Episode 5: Cuba's Cancer Hope
When the U.S. trade embargo left Cuba isolated from medical resources, Cuban scientists were forced to get creative. Now they’ve developed lung cancer vaccines that show so much promise, some Americans are defying the embargo and traveling to Cuba for treatment. In an unprecedented move, Cuban researchers are working with U.S. partners to make the medicines more widely available.
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Dogs have long been dependable companions by our sides. But it wasn’t always that way, and a look at their closest living relative, the wolf, makes it clear why. Research into dog domestication and intelligence offers clues into the human-dog relationship. And analyzing dogs’ brain activity and genes may even help answer whether dogs are in it for the food—or if they really love us.
Episode 6: The Truth About Fat
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Episode 1: Polar Extremes
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Episode 7: Decoding COVID-19
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Episode 10: Secret Mind of Slime
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Episode 11: A to Z: The First Alphabet
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Episode 12: A to Z: How Writing Changed the World
Just as writing changed the course of human history, the evolution of paper and printing revolutionized the spread of information. The printing press kicked off the Industrial Revolution that fast-tracked us to the current digital age. But as the 4,000-year-old tradition of penmanship falls out of favor, should we consider what might be lost in this pursuit of ever more efficient communication? (Premiered September 30, 2020)
Episode 13: Nature's Fear Factor
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