Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Sleep is essential, even for jellyfish and anemones

Through the study of jellyfish and anemones, a team of researchers has confirmed that sleep has very deep roots in evolution and has the function of protecting DNA and coping with its defects. The researchers investigated Cassiopea andromeda jellyfish both at sea and in the laboratory, as well as Nematostella vectensis anemones, but only in the laboratory.

“These species do not have a centralized brain, but a network of neurons spread throughout the body.”

These two species do not have a centralized brain, but a network of neurons spread throughout the body. It has been shown that these neurons also spend a third of the day without activity, without responding to stimuli or with a modest response. This phenomenon coincides with the definition of sleep.

In addition, in the experiments, it was found that the damage caused to the DNA of the animals (sleep deprivation, stress, ultraviolet radiation, etc.) was partly due to sleep. Therefore, it is considered proven that sleep has this basic function and that it manifested itself very early in its evolution.