Neither jellyfish nor sea anemones have brains. But these animals sleep in ways strikingly similar to humans, according to a study published today in Nature Communications1. The findings bolster a theory that sleep evolved, at least in part, to protect the DNA in individual nerve cells, helping to repair damage that builds up while animals are awake.
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Nature 649, 538-539 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00044-7
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