Study says spiders show signs of REM-like sleep. Do they dream too?



The jumping spider is something of an internet sensation. Each about the size of a fingernail, these eight-legged acrobats are widely loved for their big eyes, furry bodies, and colorful features.

They come in more than 5,000 varieties, have terrific vision and enthralling mating dances, and can leap up to 50 times their own body length.

But did you know that scientists think these tiny spiders may have big dreams?

A recent study from German, Italian, and U.S. researchers reports scientists observed that jumping spiders experience a sleep state resembling rapid eye movement sleep.

In humans, REM sleep is when your brain activity spikes and your muscles relax to the point where you are immobilized, while your eyes may dart around quickly. People tend to experience their most vivid dreams at this stage of the sleep cycle.

Daniela C. Roessler, a behavioral ecologist with the University of Konstanz in Germany, observed that jumping spiders appeared to exhibit sleep behaviors that resemble REM sleep in other species.

At night, the spiders hung from small silk threads and suspended motionless. But Roessler also noticed that sometimes the spiders would twitch or curl their legs, and even their eyes appeared to move.

The movements reminded researchers of how sleeping dogs or cats might sometimes twitch and jerk.

\u201cWhile filming hanging jumping spiders at night, we noticed surprising things happening. Regular phases of curling up their legs and twitching in what seemed like uncontrolled movements. Reminding us a lot of sleeping dogs or cats, we asked: could this be REM sleep? 2/7\u201d
— Dr. Daniela R\u00f6\u00dfler \ud83c\udf0e (@Dr. Daniela R\u00f6\u00dfler \ud83c\udf0e) 1659986161

According to the study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers examined baby jumping spiders, which have translucent exoskeletons, to learn what was happening to their bodies in this sleep state. They discovered that the spiders' retinas were moving along with their twitching and leg curling.

\u201cAnd indeed, we found the same phases of twitching and leg curling AND every time that happened, the retinas were moving!!!\ud83d\ude2e 4/7\u201d
— Dr. Daniela R\u00f6\u00dfler \ud83c\udf0e (@Dr. Daniela R\u00f6\u00dfler \ud83c\udf0e) 1659986161

"Does this mean spiders dream? We do not know. But the possibility is exhilarating," Roessler tweeted on Aug. 8. "I want to thank a dream team of researchers for starting this wild journey with me. And also three great reviewers! I can’t wait to continue my research on this for the next couple of years."

In an interview with NPR, Roessler explained that it's too early to say whether the spiders are actually "asleep" while having these rapid eye movements. The scientists will next be testing whether the spider behavior they observed meets the definition of sleep.

As for whether or not they dream, Roessler said it was too early to say and that a spider's dreams wouldn't be anything like what humans dream about.

"I mean, it's beautiful to think about it that way, that these spiders hang there and they have a visual scene of catching a fly or trying to get a mate," she told NPR. "It's quite cute, but probably is going to be very different."

Study finds compounds in hemp may prevent COVID virus from infecting people



Researchers at Oregon State University say that chemical compounds found in hemp can block the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells.

Those findings come from a study published Monday in the Journal of Natural Products, authored by Richard van Breemen, a scientist with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute.

Van Breeman said that hemp, known by its scientific name as Cannabis sativa, contains a pair of cannabinoid acids that bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, preventing the virus from infecting people. With the help of his colleagues, van Breeman discovered that two acids, cannabigerolic acid, or CBGA, and cannabidiolic acid, CBDA, target the same spike protein that COVID-19 vaccines and antibody therapy target to prevent and treat the disease.

“These cannabinoid acids are abundant in hemp and in many hemp extracts,” van Breemen said. “They are not controlled substances like THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and have a good safety profile in humans. And our research showed the hemp compounds were equally effective against variants of SARS-CoV-2, including variant B.1.1.7, which was first detected in the United Kingdom, and variant B.1.351, first detected in South Africa.”

According to OSU, the variants van Breeman referred to are the alpha and beta variants of COVID-19, respectively.

Van Breeman explained that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has crown-like protrusions on its outer surface, RNA strands that encode its four main structural proteins — spike, envelope, membrane, and nucleocapsid — as well as 16 nonstructural proteins and several "accessory proteins," according to OSU.

“Any part of the infection and replication cycle is a potential target for antiviral intervention, and the connection of the spike protein’s receptor binding domain to the human cell surface receptor ACE2 is a critical step in that cycle,” he said. “That means cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells. They bind to the spike proteins so those proteins can’t bind to the ACE2 enzyme, which is abundant on the outer membrane of endothelial cells in the lungs and other organs.”

He observed that compounds that block virus-receptor interaction have been used in treatments for other viral infections, including HIV-1 and hepatitis, and could similarly be used to treat COVID-19.

The scientific team at OSU used a mass spectrometry-based screening technique invented in van Breeman's laboratory to discover the compounds. They screened a range of botanical compounds used as a dietary supplement including red clover, wild yam, hops, and three species of licorice, OSU said.

Hemp is a source of fiber, food, and animal feed. Multiple hemp extracts and compounds are used in cosmetics, body lotions, dietary supplements, and food.

“These compounds can be taken orally and have a long history of safe use in humans,” van Breemen said. “They have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2. CBDA and CBGA are produced by the hemp plant as precursors to CBD and CBG, which are familiar to many consumers. However, they are different from the acids and are not contained in hemp products.”

South Africa study suggests Omicron infection could boost immunity against Delta variant



Preliminary findings from a study suggest that infection with the Omicron variant of coronavirus could boost a person's immunity against the more severe Delta variant.

South African scientists at the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban examined 33 unvaccinated and vaccinated individuals who had contracted the Omicron variant, Reuters reported. They found that people who were infected with Omicron developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant. Their immunity was even stronger if they had previously been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, also finds that Omicron could displace Delta as the dominant coronavirus variant.

"The increase in Delta variant neutralization in individuals infected with Omicron may result in decreased ability of Delta to re-infect those individuals," the study's authors said.

Researchers found that neutralization of Omicron increased 14-fold over 14 days after participants were enrolled in the study. They also found there was a 4.4-fold increase in neutralization of the Delta variant.

The study's authors explained the results are "consistent with Omicron displacing the Delta variant, since it can elicit immunity which neutralizes Delta making re-infection with Delta less likely."

The increase neutralizing immunity against Omicron was expected - that is the virus these individuals were infected with. \nHowever, we also saw that the same people - especially those who were vaccinated - developed enhanced immunity to the Delta variant.
— Alex Sigal (@Alex Sigal) 1640641730

Scientists are optimistic that if Omicron proves to cause less severe disease than Delta, the pandemic may finally end. The ultimate question is whether Omicron is less pathogenic compared to Delta. "If so, then the incidence of COVID-19 severe disease would be reduced and the infection may shift to become less disruptive to individuals and society," the authors wrote.

There is reason for hope. The wave of Omicron cases experienced in South Africa quickly subsided within weeks after it was first reported, even though only 48.3% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to Our World in Data.

Alex Sigal, a professor at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa, explained on Twitter Monday that if Omicron behaves as observed in South Africa, it will "help push Delta out" and possibly lead to the end of COVID-19 disrupting our lives.

If that's true, then the disruption Covid-19 has caused in our lives may become less.
— Alex Sigal (@Alex Sigal) 1640641733

Previous studies from South Africa have indicated there is reduced risk of hospitalization and severe disease in people infected with the Omicron variant compared with Delta, though the authors caution that some of this is likely due to high population immunity, Reuters reported.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. have risen in recent weeks as Omicron variant cases have surged, causing new daily average case records in several states.

As of Monday morning, more than 71,000 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized across the U.S., according to the Department of Health and Human Services. At the height of the Delta variant surge this year, more than 100,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, according to UPI.