Spiders show REM-like sleep

Researchers at the University of Bonn have found that jumping spiders display behaviors similar to the REM sleep stage in vertebrates, where dreaming occurs. These behaviors include spasms, leg retraction, and retinal movements, which were observed during periods of rest in the spiders.

Lockdowns inspired the research

The idea for the study came during the lockdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic, when Daniela Rößler, a German ethologist, noticed recurring episodes of unusual movements in spiders. These movements resembled those seen in vertebrates during REM sleep, prompting further investigation.

Spiders have different biology

Spiders have a nervous system and life cycle that are very different from those of vertebrates, making this discovery particularly significant. Nadja Geiger, a biologist at the University of Bonn and co-author of the study, highlights that the finding offers a unique opportunity to compare sleep structures across vastly different species.

Questions about sleep's evolution

The discovery raises fundamental questions about sleep's evolutionary origins. Researchers are now asking what characteristics of sleep are ancient and shared across species, what the purpose of different sleep phases might be, and why these phases evolved in the first place.

Study published in PNAS

The findings on the sleep characteristics of jumping spiders have been published in the journal PNAS, which is a prestigious publication for research in the biological sciences.