On Wednesday, March 5, 2014 10:57:30 PM UTC, Russell Standish wrote: > > On Wed, Mar 05, 2014 at 02:26:50PM -0800, [email protected] > <javascript:>wrote: > > > > > So....you're saying its about resting the sensitive visual machinery? > Why > > not do that with an extra pair of eyes and a shift rota? That seems like > a > > legitimate challenge John, since it seems very doable, and the > > benefit would be 24 hour action. Maybe even a pair of day eyes, and > another > > pair of night eyes. > > > > Dolphins do something like this - they sleep one brain hemisphere at a > time, so they don't drown in their sleep. > > --
Very interesting indeed, and not something I knew. I suppose the issues/questions would hinge on whether Dolphins are fully functional 24 hours, or they have an advanced sleep mode. If the latter then the null hypothesis as it were, would be whether that's an extension of the norm in that all life has to keep the cardio vascular system going, and preserves a degree of environment monitoring for basic threats. Sharks need to keep swimming forwards not to suffocate. On the other hand if it was a case of full-on functioning day and night, things become much more interesting. However from a standpoint of the issues being raised here, a full on day and night dolphin reality would only be in a position to refute or support certain hypothesis, if it wasn't a case of whole hemisphere swapping. In the case it was, all the same questions would be applicable to each hemisphere as in both cases sleep was a fundamental requirement. It could possibly rule out the fact mammals have this largely duplicated structure in two hemispheres as directly related. I'll have to ask that old mucker queegeuc on his return anyway, from nantuckat with that other fella. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
