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Mysteries of Sleep

Season 47 Episode 4 | 53m 26s

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.

Aired: 02/25/20 | Expires: 03/30/22
National Corporate funding for NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies. Major funding for NOVA is provided by the NOVA Science Trust, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.
Extras
Fósiles gigantes en el Sahara revelan nuevos secretos sobre la evolución de las ballenas.
They paid only $27.50 for it from a London bookseller in 1946.
Go behind the scenes as NOVA visits the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.
You probably won’t win big playing the Lottery but your brain may want to keep trying.
Forensic science is put to the test after the first-ever staged multi-vehicle pileup.
Forensic science is put to the test after the first-ever staged multi-vehicle pileup.
A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.
A first-of-its-kind experiment aims to stage a multi-vehicle pileup to gain new data on car safety.
After centuries of pseudoscience, researchers examine the causes of racial health disparities.
After centuries of pseudoscience, researchers examine the causes of racial health disparities.