logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
10m 14s

These Penguins Take 10,000 Little Naps A...

NPR
About this episode
Sleep. It's an essential biological function that has long intrigued scientists. Researchers have studied everything from mice to fruit flies in the lab to get a better understanding of what happens when animals sleep — and why so many do it. This week, scientists finally added one piece to the elusive sleep puzzle: How wild chinstrap penguins sleep amid their noisy colony. Turns out, they do it over 10,000 times in seconds-long bursts throughout the day — totaling 11 hours when all is said and done.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 5
Shooting stars are just pea-sized rocks... and other space wonders
Ahead of the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, we're re-airing our first episode with host Regina G. Barber. In it, Regina and planetary scientist Melissa Rice explore all things shooting stars. They talk about the different types, where they come from and what they actually are ... Show More
11m 40s
Aug 4
More food and money, less disease: Senegal's surprising eco-experiment
In Senegal, rice farmers are trying to kill three birds with one stone – er, fish. Rice and fish are already a natural combination; they’re even the main ingredients of thieboudienne, the delicious national dish. But could that combination also reduce a debilitating disease, boos ... Show More
13m 30s
Aug 3
The new era of AI-powered cybercrime
Hacking has been on the rise around the world. In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received over 1 million complaints of cybercrime, a record high in the US. Hackers are always getting more creative, and now they have a new tool at their disposal: AI. Interested in ... Show More
12m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
Sleep
<p>We had a question back in 2007, about a thing every creature on the planet does--from giant humpback whales to teeny fruit flies. Why do we all sleep? What does it do for us, and what happens when we go without? We take a peek at iguanas sleeping with one eye open, get in bed ... Show More
56m 2s
Nov 2022
Tardigrades, an Unlikely Sleeping Beauty
Researchers put this ancient critter through a subzero gauntlet to learn more about what happens to their internal clock while surviving the extreme. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
7m 3s
May 2019
I'm a Penguin Counter for God's Sake!
Traveling to Antarctica to hang with penguins on the company dime likely seems like the dream assignment for a journalist... or anyone. Ron Naveen has been living that dream, counting penguins by hand for decades. And today you're going to hear about that work from our friends at ... Show More
22m 56s
Mar 2017
Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain
Powerful new experiments have uncovered some of the molecular underpinnings of sleep. <p>The post <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/researchers-tap-a-sleep-switch-in-the-brain-20170214/" target="_blank">Researchers Tap a Sleep Switch in the Brain</a> first appeared on <a hr ... Show More
8m 7s
Nov 2022
These Punk Rock Penguins Have a Bizarre Breeding Strategy
New Zealand’s erect-crested penguin lays two eggs but rejects the first one—the opposite of how most birds prioritize their offspring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
3m 52s
Jun 2024
Why do we sleep?
Guest presented by Liz Bonnin.We all instinctively know that sleep is incredibly important but science doesn’t actually have a satisfying answer for why we need to sleep. There are multiple theories, but now, new research from Imperial College London has suggested that the leadin ... Show More
28m 20s
Dec 2020
Two Whats?! And A Wow! - Sleep On It
Guy Raz is making a schedule for the perfect slumber, and while Mindy might find his color-coded snoozing chart unusual, it's not half as unusual as the sleeping habits of some animals. On this round of Two Whats?! And A Wow!, we challenge you to separate the fact from fiction on ... Show More
11 m