Kikkoman

Mutation Tied to Need for Less Sleep Is Discovered

The scientists were searching the samples for variations in several genes thought to be related to the sleep cycle. In what amounts to finding a needle in a haystack, they spotted two DNA samples with abnormal copies of a gene called DEC2, which is known to affect circadian rhythms. They then worked back to find out who provided the samples and found a mother and daughter who were naturally short sleepers. The women routinely function on about 6 hours of sleep a night; the average person needs 8 to 8.5 hours of sleep.

Even under the reproductive selection pressures brilliantly outlined in the first 10 minutes of Idiocracy, needing less sleep would still be a handy trait.