Mitochondria – famously the powerhouses of our cells – are linked to sleep in ways we never realised. In a study on fruit flies, researchers discovered that the longer they stay awake, the more damage is caused to their mitochondria. This pressure increasingly pushes the flies to go to sleep – to begin the repair cycle. They also showed ways of engineering and altering fruit fly mitochondria that could impact their sleep duration. Given how mitochondria is essential in all complex life forms – like us – could it one day lead to sleep treatments?
Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alex Wilkins and Alexandra Thompson.
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Learn more ➤https://www.newscientist.com/article/2489223-our-brains-mitochondria-may-play-a-crucial-role-in-the-onset-of-sleep/
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