Sleeplessness Drug work in monkeys
Apparently a new drug funded by DARPA removes the cognitive impairment effects in sleep-deprived monkeys. After being kept awake for 36 hours, the monkeys sniffed a little hormone (orexin A) and their performance on cognitive tests match well-rested monkeys. I wonder if this will turn out to be the wonder drug abused at universities. In the meantime, it will be of great benefit for all the people with sleep disorders or people who need to stay alert for long periods (esp. pilots and soldiers). I imagine that until they test this on people, it will be difficult to know if there are other side effects.