Mammals dream about the world even before being born
Recommended for Secondary Grades
Mammals Dream Before the Dawn: Tiny Mice, Big Adventures
Imagine yourself tucked up snug as a bug in a rug, safe and warm in your mama’s tummy. Now, believe it or not, if you were a baby mouse (not that humans would want to be, with those whiskers and all!), you wouldn’t just be snoozing away. You’d be dreaming those mighty mousey dreams!
Those clever scientists at Yale have unveiled a furry secret: little mouse brains aren’t idle before birth, no sir! It seems even without seeing a single speck of sunshine, their noggins are a-buzz. They send messages, like tiny postcards from a world they’ve never visited. These ‘retinal waves’, if you want the fancy term, paint pictures of scurrying and sniffing, of dodging those pesky cats, and finding those delicious crumbs. Oh, the life of a mouse!
And here’s the fun bit – those dreams aren’t just for giggles. They’re building highways in that itty-bitty brain!
So, when Mr. Mousekin finally peeks out at the world, squeaking with surprise, it’s not all new. Those dream postcards built a map, see? So, he knows to scurry for his mama, and hide when the shadows grow long. Mighty clever, these tiny dreamers!
Now, scientists (a serious bunch, they are) don’t stop at the fun bits. They dig deeper, see? Turns out, within those dream-postcards, their eyes and brains work out how seeing works. It’s like learning to drive in a simulator before getting out on the real road!
That’s why, even human babies, big and bald as they are, can sort of recognize things when they pop out – all that sneaky inner practice!
So next time you see a baby, any baby, give a wink and a smile. They’ve had quite the adventure already, all from the safety of a dream. Now, isn’t that a tale to make you marvel?