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The young women guiding tourists through India's night sky

Photo: BBC

Strong winds sweep across this remote village in India's Himalayan Ladakh region, but no one seems to mind. Dinner is over, yet, instead of bed, many people are gathering outside.

At 14,764ft (4,500m) above sea level, Hanle is known for its exceptionally clear, dark skies . Wrapped in thick jackets, woollen caps and gloves, tourists and visitors gather to see the Milky Way and look through telescopes at planets, the Moon and distant stars.

Among them are four young women: Palzes Angmo, Tsering Dolker, Tsering Yangdol and Padma Chamchot.

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SCIScienceDaily

REM sleep paradox: Dreaming may drain the brain’s energy even as fuel supply rises

Scientists discovered a surprising energy paradox in the brain during REM sleep, the stage most closely associated with dreaming. Blood supply to the brain begins increasing even before REM starts, but neurons’ immediately available energy, measured as ATP, then drops. The finding suggests that dreaming may require such intense internal processing that neurons consume energy faster than it can be replenished.