Sleep -- elusive to some, mysterious to all -- is the topic of a special event at the Franklin Institute’s Fels Planetarium on Wednesday, April 30, at 6:30 p.m. called Sleep: A Bedtime Story, part of the signature programs on the 2014 Philadelphia Science Festival schedule.
As the audience enters the Planetarium, cocoa, tea and cookies will be served, soft music will play while images of jumping sheep, a full moon and a starry sky on the dome set the stage for “Sleep: The Bedtime Story."
Despite the fact that sleep is a universal human experience (as well as for just about every other species), it remains one of science's greatest enigmas. What is its purpose? Why did it evolve to claim a third of our lifetimes? What effect does its disruption have on our health? Leading experts explain what sleep is, why do you need it, and what happens when you don’t get enough.
Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading research institutions exploring questions like this about sleep, using animal models ranging from round worms to humans, studying slumber from nearly every conceivable angle. Penn researchers are focusing not only on the basic hows and whys of sleep, but also examining its relationship to other biological functions, finding intricate connections to eating and metabolism, cognitive functioning, fertility, and the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Though we don't yet fully understand the reasons, it's clear that sleep is far from a luxury: it's essential for life.
Two leading sleep researchers from Penn Medicine, Amita Sehgal, PhD from the Department of Neuroscience and Sigrid Veasey, MD, from the Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology will be participating in “Sleep: The Bedtime Story,” along with other Philadelphia area colleagues.
The Festival, which kicked off last Saturday, runs through May 3 -- 10 days devoted to celebrating the region’s strengths in science and technology, bringing together more than 100 partners from academia to museums to restaurants. It will include an extensive line-up of programs and exhibitions designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and spark discussion among young and old.
For more information on the full list of Penn Medicine participation in the science festival, visit our earlier preview here on the Penn Med News blog.