Did you see the new study about sleep needs and genetic mutation? Some people, apparently, have a genetic ability to function just fine on six hours’ sleep per night.
The finding eventually could lead to better treatments for insomnia and other night-time disorders, experts say, because it helps scientists better locate genes that are related to sleep.
Researchers at the University of California-San Francisco made the discovery while going through blood samples from people who participated in a sleep study. The scientists matched two samples with the genetic mutation to a mother and daughter who both naturally sleep less than other people.
The effects of the mutation were replicated in both fruit flies and mice in the laboratory, which made the scientists so excited, they couldn’t sleep.
The great majority of people, the researchers say, need eight or more hours of sleep per night.
To read more about it, click here.
- We bid a fond farewell to Les Paul, the man who did more than any other to perfect the electric guitar. Paul died this week at age 94. Full story here.
- Speaking of guitars, it’s Brazilian jazz this weekend on the patio at C.R. Gibbs American Grill. Al Mires and Marc Soares will play 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight and Saturday. No cover.
- Local barbecue expert John Reit reports that he still has a few spots available in the fall grilling class he’s offering through Redding Parks & Recreation. The five-hour class wil be Sept. 19. For more info, click here.
- In sports comes the news that disgraced former NFL quarterback Michael Vick has signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Vick’s trying to come back after doing prison time for his role in a dog-fighting ring. More here.
- Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, the Charles Manson follower who tried to shoot President Gerald Ford in 1975, has been released from prison after three decades behind bars. Fromme, who’s now 60, never got off a shot because Secret Service agents spotted her and wrestled the pistol away. Full story here.
- Today’s Thought: Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way to the bone.
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