why we are defective

Scientists Find People Who Need Way Less Sleep Than Everyone Else

Dan was so cute before he hit puberty.

You may not believe it, but we here at Daily Intel are not morning people. Chris and Jessica were formerly real journalists, and as such are unused to having to report for duty before 10 a.m. Dan is a surly teenager and as such has to be physically yanked out of bed, boy-smelling comforter and all, every morning around nine. (And let’s not even get into trying to get him to eat anything other than Kix.) We’ve actually always had a theory that people who are more successful at life (Rupert Murdoch, say, or Dora the Explorer) are awoken every morning by the fire of ambition and a seething rage at an outside world that exists only to be conquered. We, on the other hand, wake up with headaches (EVERY MORNING) and a deep sense of sadness. Only the terror that Sarah Palin or John Paulson have done something spectacular forces us out of bed to look at our computers. But scientists have just discovered a gene where certain people have to sleep substantially less than others, just naturally. Which totally makes sense! That’s how other people get so much more done than we do — genetic advantages! Which, if you follow the logic, means that we are genetically disadvantaged. So anyway, please excuse us if later in the day the blog goes dark; we’re scheduling a meeting with HR in which we have some things to discuss.

Mutation Tied to Need for Less Sleep Is Discovered [NYT]

Scientists Find People Who Need Way Less Sleep Than Everyone Else