July 18, 2023

By Madhura Lotlikar, McGill University Humans need less sleep than our closest evolutionary relatives. However, we often sleep less than we need. Needing less sleep is a consequence of our ancestors’ choices to remain awake longer — a behaviour that led to evolutionary benefits. Sleeping less than we need is the result of our modern-day…

In March 1557, a group of Protestant French tradesmen landed on an island off the coast of Brazil, coming to be a part of a new French colony that needed more people, especially skilled workers. Along with this company were two Protestant ministers, Pierre Richier and Guillaume Chartier, who had been invited to teach the…