Fun Fact: The Sleepless Man

40 Years Without Sleep

So we all know that we should get an allotted amount of sleep per night. Now while not all of us do get the daily recommended amount, I don't think any of us could keep up with this guy. A man named Paul Kern never slept a single day after his WWI injury.

Who is Paul Kern?

Paul Kern, a Hungarian soldier, was shot in the head by a Russian soldier in 1915 during WWI. Right off the bat, it is amazing to have survived that type of injury. The bullet was removed from his frontal lobe and instead of killing him it left him unable to sleep. Numerous tests were conducted, unfortunately not resulting in any answers. He did try to coax himself into sleeping, but that only lead to hours of wakefulness lying in bed.

How is This Possible?

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem in a normal case. A chronic sleepless state could possibly lead to fatigue, daytime drowsiness, and extreme weight gain or loss. While it is well known that going without sleep is impossible, as microsleeps are unavoidable, I cannot recommend trying to beat Paul Kern because it can even cause death. Numerous lab animals have perished due to sleep restricted experiments. The amount of fatigue and stress going without sleep puts on the brain and body is often too much for one to handle. It is amazing that Paul was able to avoid any symptoms of fatigue while also avoiding any mental disorders that often associate with insomnia.

Paul Kern later moved to Budapest where he worked daily in the Pension Department. While working, his employers never noted any discomfort or exhaustion from Paul Kern. He continued this way until his death in 1955.

40 years without sleep, think any of you can beat that?

That's your daily brain gain!

Fun Fact: Cheetahs Nearly Went Extinct

Who Said Cheetahs Never Win?

Cheetahs nearly went extinct in the last ice age. We were very close to never meeting this phenomenal feline. The Cheetahs we have in today's world are inbred. So inbred that they are all nearly identical. There is a theory that during an ice age, the cheetah's population dwindled down to less than 10. The only means of survival for the animals were brother-sister and parent-child relations. Another inside fun fact, cheetah's are about 97% identical which makes them just as identical as lab rats. Humans being between 68%-70% identical. It is astonishing that the cheetah has managed to survive this long. Typically, the most genetically adaptable species is the one that survives. So cheetahs being about 97% identical and surviving the years that they have is nothing short of a miracle.

To put this into a pretty cool perspective, a skin graph is where you take skin from your leg or other body part and graph it onto your face, or wherever needed. Usually it will end in a success because one's cells will not reject one another. However you would never be able to do this with another person donating the graphed skin. Cheetahs on the other hand, can accept skin graphs from any other cheetah. Remarkable to say the least.

Cheetahs nearly went extinct, managed to survive through inbred relationships, and are now 97% genetically identical.

That's your daily brain gain!