Neuroscientist Robert Huber probes tiny world of the fruit fly to discover sleep/eating/activity connection, reports BGSU News.
The scientists will now look more deeply at the brain structures that induce the insects to sleep after consuming protein and salt, and test theories about why sleep then would be beneficial.
“Clearly, protein is a very expensive commodity,” Huber said. “If sleep increases your ability to resorb it, that would be a possible reason. And the same thing with salt.” Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are much easier to come by in nature, he said, so might not call for such dedicated digestion.
