Hey Glen. Glad you liked our paper :)

Thanks Monica! The Cassiopea conference was a memory to cherish, and a great opportunity for the field experiment in this paper 🪼

From generating "clockless" #CRISPR mutants to field experiments where we got stung in areas better left unmentioned... 🤫🩹 this project was a wild ride.

Massive thanks to my co-first author @chronoraph.bsky.social, couldn't have asked for a better partner! 🤝

Full paper: rdcu.be/eXXbc

This image was created by my dear Dr. Raphaël (Chambaud) AGUILLON

Why neurons? I believe that any entangled, synchronized system requires synchronized maintenance. 🕸️

But can this theory be tested?

@natcomms.nature.com @goodmanfaculty.bsky.social @cassiopeabase.bsky.social @scinews.bsky.social @natneuro.nature.com #AnimalBehavior #DNARepair #SleepScience

Finally, melatonin acts as a universal "night shift" manager.

It promotes sleep & DNA repair in both species, but at opposite times (day for the jellyfish, night for the anemone). 🌗

The link between molecular health & sleep is ancient; only the timing adapts to the niche. 🧬

#EvolutionaryBiology

DNA damage is the trigger for sleep pressure.

Wakefulness & stressors cause neuronal DNA fractures. This damage acts like a ticking clock, accumulating until it forces the animal to sleep to fix it.

Sleep isn't optional; it's a mandatory window for genomic repair, an ancient biological function.

We compared the day-active Cassiopea jellyfish & night-active Nematostella anemone. ☀️🌙

Despite opposite schedules, they share a human-like trait: sleeping ~1/3 of the day.

To prove it, we tracked posture & arousal thresholds.
And yes, even jellyfish need a nap in the middle of day! 🪼💤

#Sleep

Why do animals spend 1/3 of their lives sleeping? Our Nature Comms paper finds this mandate likely began >600M years ago with the first neurons and in brainless animals.

Sleep isn’t just for complex brains; it’s a fundamental requirement for the nerve cell itself, even in jellyfish & sea anemones.

@chronoraph.bsky.social