Cetaceans >>> humans... again.

I was telling someone last night how if I don't sleep for a few days (you know that half sleep when you're stressed and you wake up at 5am and give up and read or watch Parks & Rec til an acceptable time to be out of bed?), I fall apart. We NEED sleep. It certainly feels like a weakness and reading that dolphins don't need sleep for over 2 weeks at a time only intensified that feeling.

In theory, only half of a dolphin brain "sleeps" so the other half can remain vigilant and prevent the creature from drowning (dolphins must consciously take breaths, it isn't an automated behavior). They have to remain alert to predators such as sharks, in which they use echolocation to take stock of their mental landscape and can spot danger.

Side note: I remember furiously writing a paper on echolocation in 4th grade and it basically confirmed my belief that dolphins were the coolest animal on the planet (I'm also sure the assignment was something like "talk about your favorite animal" and I went way overboard and included citations from various sources). 

Even with half of their brain in a resting state, dolphins are able to accurately echolocate, or map, their surroundings. They are able to rotate which half of the brain remains alert as well. I can't wait for the inevitable conversation about how we can tap into what dolphins are doing and only sleep with half of our brain and productivity will go up and crime will go down and everyone will live forever. But seriously, dolphins are cool as shit.