In this column, we provoke fresh thinking and round up some of the weird, wonderful, quirky, surprising – and shocking – stories out there

 

Penguins master the power of the microsleep

With temperatures dropping in many parts of the world, many of us may have the urge to hibernate or at least take more naps, particularly if we’re in front of a cosy fire and have over-indulged. There’s certainly a lot to recommend napping.

One species seems to have mastered the art of the power nap – the penguin. Chinstrap penguins nod off more than 10,000 times for an average of four seconds a time, according to research published in Science. Their snoozes add up to more than 11 hours of daily sleep, and seem to be enough to fulfil at least some of the restorative functions of full-on sleep, finds the research. The length of their power naps shrunk even further when taking care of eggs, probably so they remain more alert. Over a ten-day period, the birds studied didn’t have any prolonged sleep. 

 

Dopamine guides behaviour

The neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in how we learn from both negative and positive experiences, allowing the brain to adapt behaviour according to the outcomes of these experiences, finds a study.

Researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine, North Carolina, USA, measured dopamine levels while participants played computer games during deep brain stimulation surgery. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that acts as a chemical messenger, facilitating communication between nerve cells in the body and brain, and is involved in functions such as movement, cognition and learning. The study was published in Science Advances.

Kenneth Kishida, associate professor of physiology and pharmacology and neurosurgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said “This is the first study in humans to examine how dopamine encodes rewards and punishments and whether dopamine reflects an ‘optimal’ teaching signal that is used in today’s most advanced artificial intelligence research.”

During the game, participants’ choices were either rewarded or punished with real monetary gains or losses. The game was divided into three stages in which participants learned from positive or negative feedback to make choices that maximised rewards and minimised penalties. Dopamine levels were measured continuously, once every 100 milliseconds, throughout each stage of the game.

“We found that dopamine not only plays a role in signaling both positive and negative experiences in the brain, but it seems to do so in a way that is optimal when trying to learn from those outcomes. What was also interesting, is that it seems like there may be independent pathways in the brain that separately engage the dopamine system for rewarding versus punishing experiences. Our results reveal a surprising result that these two pathways may encode rewarding and punishing experiences on slightly shifted timescales separated by only 200-400 milliseconds in time,” Kishida said.

He said that traditionally, dopamine is often referred to as ‘the pleasure neurotransmitter,’ but their research suggests this isn’t the way to think about dopamine.

“Instead, dopamine is a crucial part of a sophisticated system that teaches our brain and guides our behavior. That dopamine is also involved in teaching our brain about punishing experiences is an important discovery and may provide new directions in research to help us better understand the mechanisms underlying depression, addiction, and related psychiatric and neurological disorders.” 

 

Dress-down culture

If you were gifted with one too many pairs of pyjamas over the festive period, fear not, you could always wear them while you work. You won’t be alone – British workers are dressing down more than
ever, with many working in pyjamas or tracksuit bottoms.

On average staff wear pyjamas while working 46 times a year with one in 12 workers wearing pyjamas every working day, according to a survey of more than 1,000 workers and 500 employers in the UK by global recruitment firm, Indeed.

Thirty-three per cent of Brits admit to working in their pyjamas and 56% to wearing tracksuit bottoms, finds the survey. 

There is a disconnect between workers’ and employers’ attitudes to dress code. Employers label pyjamas as the most inappropriate work appearance but nor are they in favour of tracksuit bottoms – 44% say these are inappropriate workwear. Two in five employers say trainers are inappropriate attire but almost two-thirds of staff wear them while working.

There are differences in chosen work clothes among the generations – generation Z (18-24 year olds) wish to impress, with 42% opting for professional business attire in front of clients versus 15% of those aged over 35. One in five Gen Z workers dress more formally than the dress code when meeting stakeholders, with this figure dropping steadily as the age of workers rises, to just 10% for those aged over 55.

However, almost 9% of employers agreed that it was important for staff to express their identity through their style and clothing at work. Women are far less likely to wear makeup at home for video calls than in the office, for example. Tattoos have become more commonplace, with two-thirds (67%) of employers saying employees having tattoos has become the norm. Some 52% of employers feel visible tattoos have become more acceptable throughout their career, although some employers still said that tattoos may affect a hiring decision.