Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

Balancing the responsibilities of being the charming Bruce Wayne by day and the intrepid Bat-man by night leaves precious little time for <keyword id="6372996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sleep" source="Orion">sleep</keyword>. To combat fatigue, the caped crusader has mastered the art of power naps throughout the day. And just as bats imparted upon him the art of instilling fear in his adversaries, another "winged" creature might have inspired Batman's peculiar sleep regimen.<br /><br />Researchers have unveiled that chinstrap penguins slumber for more than 11 hours per day. However, there exists an astonishing secret behind this feline-like behavior: they accumulate their sleep over thousands of brief bursts throughout the day, each lasting a mere four seconds on average!<br /><br />These chinstrap penguins (<em>Pygoscelis antarcticus</em>), primarily inhabiting the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Atlantic Ocean Island, are perhaps the most abundant <keyword id="6354605" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="penguin" source="Orion">penguin</keyword> <keyword id="6388594" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="species" source="Orion">species</keyword> on the planet. To verify their bizarre sleep mechanism, researchers implanted electrodes on 14 birds to monitor their brain activity, neck muscle movements, and location as they engaged in their penguin life.<br /><br />The findings revealed that the penguins slept in remarkably short intervals, averaging merely 3.91 seconds each. They accumulated over 10,000 such microsleeps per day, totaling more than 11 hours of sleep. That surpasses the nightly sleep duration of most humans!<br /><br />The researchers posit that, much akin to Batman, these penguins' unique sleep patterns may stem from an adaptation to their demanding lifestyle. During nesting season, single-parent penguins must constantly guard their eggs from predators like skuas while their partners forage for sustenance. These microsleeps allow the penguins to snatch some rest while still maintaining vigilance against danger.<br /><br />Interestingly, the study also revealed that penguins on the colony's periphery slept longer and more soundly than those at the center. This may be attributed to the elevated levels of noise and activity in the colony's center, which would render it more challenging for the innermost penguins to doze off.<br /><br />Whether the microsleeps confer any restorative benefits remains open to question. In humans, fragmented sleep can have detrimental consequences for cognitive function, even elevating the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as <keyword id="22996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="alzheimer" source="Orion">Alzheimer</keyword>'s.<br /><br />However, the penguins' successful breeding suggests that this behavior does provide some advantage. The brief interludes of neuronal silence may be sufficient for the penguins to rest and recuperate, implying that what is deemed abnormal sleep in humans may be perfectly normal in other animals, at least under specific circumstances.<br /><br />The discovery of chinstrap penguins' unique sleep patterns underscores the remarkable diversity of the animal kingdom and offers fresh insights into the evolution of sleep. Further research is warranted to fully comprehend the implications of this finding and its potential applicability to other species, including humans.<br />

Penguins employ thousands of microsleeps to achieve 11 hours' slumber daily!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I paid $5,700 to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/9-things-everyone-should-know-before-going-to-antarctica-review-2022-12">travel to Antarctica</a> in November 2022 with Australian tour company Intrepid Travel.</li><li>Unfortunately, bad weather canceled the camping excursion and forced us to leave a day early.</li></ul><p>It has been a year since I stepped foot on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/passenger-planes-that-landed-on-antarctica-ice-runways-2023-11">Antarctica</a> for the first time — joining a small club of people who have faced the remote frozen desert. </p><p>Some 100,000 people visited last year, and tourist numbers are expected to be in the six figures again this season.</p><p>Visiting my seventh continent had been a dream of mine since I took my first <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/backpacking-through-europe-what-its-really-like-surprising-things-2023-2">backpacking trip</a> in college. I've always enjoyed going outside my comfort zone, having studied abroad in China, driven to the Arctic Circle in Alaska, and volunteered in Bulgaria, so I felt prepared for the beast that is Antarctica.</p><p>I booked my adventure with Australian tour company Intrepid Travel for $5,700, snagging a Black Friday sale in 2019 for a November 2020 departure. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic delayed the trip for two years, and I finally set sail for Antarctica in November 2022.</p><p>I cruised in a three-person cabin on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ocean-endeavor-ship-antarctica-sail-intrepid-travel-2022-12">Ocean Endeavor, a 200-passenger expedition vessel</a> — meaning I had two random roommates. Considering I've worked in a hostel, this didn't bother me.</p><p>Overall, the trip proved to be as physically and financially draining as people warned, and there were disappointments along the way due to Antarctica's wild weather.</p><p>Nevertheless, I don't regret taking the trip. Here's why.</p><h2>The cruise was treacherous and nauseating, but I loved the quaintness of the boat</h2><div type="image" title="A chinstrap penguin with the Ocean Endeavour in Antarctica." height="1434" width="1938" msid="106251918" hostid="261" sizebytes="399606"></div><p>The Ocean Endeavour wasn't your <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/icon-of-the-seas-joins-royal-caribbean-fleet-2023-11">typical mega-ship that can carry thousands of people</a>, nor did it host a casino or dance club.</p><p>Instead, the expedition vessel acted as our trusty tank as it carried us from the southern tip of Argentina through the treacherous Drake Passage, which rocked the boat for two days straight.</p><p>And the waters were no joke.</p><p>A viral TikTok <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRVHEmyy/">video</a> posted from my cruise shows glasses crashing and people being thrown around as the boat violently rocked. I was actually there during that moment, and it was as intense as it looked.</p><p>Many people spent the days and nights getting sick, and some even strapped themselves into their beds to avoid being tossed out by the waves.</p><div type="image" title="The boat hitting the water after a giant wave." height="1140" width="1492" msid="106251919" hostid="261" sizebytes="42400"></div><p>This caused a lot of sleepless nights. But Melatonin and scopolamine patches proved to be my saving grace — Don't go to Antarctica without a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/motion-sickness">solid seasickness medication</a>; it'll be your biggest mistake.</p><p>Despite the violent Drake Passage, the smaller boat proved to be perfect for socializing and getting my mind off the rocking.</p><p>I ended up finding a squad of nine other people with whom I spent most of my time — all of whom were similar to me in the way we viewed life and travel. They made the long hours in the remote southern ocean more enjoyable.</p><h2>I was able to save money by bunking with other people, and our cabin was huge</h2><div type="image" title="The interior of my room." height="1500" width="2000" msid="106251920" hostid="261" sizebytes="254942"></div><p>When I booked my Antarctica trip in 2019, the price was much lower than what Intrepid is offering today.</p><p>According to its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/antarctica/best-antarctica-wildlife-explorer-ocean-endeavour-139303#Dates-&amp;-availabilities">website</a>, the cheapest available cruise through the end of the season is running at about $8,000 per person for a triple interior cabin.</p><p>Demand and fuel prices have contributed to this increase, but the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/what-its-like-where-cruise-ship-crew-lives-photos-2021-10">shared cabins</a> are still a lot cheaper than if one were to book a single room, which is currently going for $10,000+ on Intrepid.</p><p>I've <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/work-party-hostels-around-world-europe-what-its-like-2023-1">worked in a hostel</a>, so I'm no stranger to this kind of communal living, and it helped me quickly meet other solo travelers.</p><div type="image" title="My little Antarctic family: (L-R): Erica, me, Emily, Courtney, Paulina, Nastassja, Joanna, Ashley, Harrison, and Hugo." height="1691" width="2000" msid="106251994" hostid="261" sizebytes="294142"></div><p>My roommates and I had no issues sharing the space or bathroom, and I think this was an easy way to save a few grand on the trip.</p><p>Plus, my specific triple cabin was designed for four people, not three, so it was one of the biggest on the ship and made the journey much more comfortable.</p><p>Over the 11 days of sharing a cabin, I was also reminded that expeditions like these have no age limit: One of my roommates was a solo woman in her 70s, and she had some amazing stories to tell.</p><h2>I didn't get to camp on the ice, and we left a day early, but that's the reality of Antarctica</h2><div type="image" title="Taken 25 minutes apart, the photo on the left shows sunny skies and mountains in view. The photo on the right is blizzard conditions with clouds and snow blocking the scenery." height="1506" width="2000" msid="106251996" hostid="261" sizebytes="113798"></div><p>Having done a lot of research in advance, I knew my Antarctica trip was not going to be a relaxing vacation, and I needed to have realistic expectations.</p><p>Fortunately, I managed to avoid series seasickness thanks to the scopolamine patches I brought, and I know how to pack for the cold.</p><p>But the rocking of the Drake Passage was shockingly rough. Walking around in subfreezing temperatures, hiking up hills, and getting on and off the Zodiacs also proved demanding, and the frigid air definitely put people to the test.</p><p>But aside from the expected challenges — the cold and the violent waves — Antarctica was even more unpredictable than I imagined.</p><p>Not only was our camping excursion delayed twice and eventually canceled (as was snowshoeing and a few kayaking sessions), but we also had to leave Antarctica more than a day early due to a monster storm forming.</p><div type="image" title="Intrepid showed us the weather in the Drake Passage, with pink meaning gale-force winds and huge wave swells." height="2315" width="3086" msid="106251998" hostid="261" sizebytes="521110"></div><p>This cut our time on the continent in half, and I was frustrated because of how much money and time I spent to get to Antarctica. My entire investment in the trip was about $8,000 for the cruise, hotels, flights, and a last-minute $450 fuel surcharge.</p><p>I don't blame Intrepid, but the constant high hopes and eventual disappointment was an emotional rollercoaster. Fortunately, we were able to lighten the mood with a polar plunge and a little booze after setting sail for home.</p><h2>Riding around Antarctica in the Zodiacs made every disappointment worth it</h2><div type="image" title="Intrepid Travel passengers looking out at Antarctica." height="1536" width="2048" msid="106252001" hostid="261" sizebytes="120992"></div><p>As my little group sat at breakfast on the last day of our voyage, we all went around and shared our favorite moments from the journey.</p><p>For me, simply riding around Antarctica on the Zodiac boats and witnessing the continent's pristine landscape fully captivated me.</p><p>It's one thing to see the vast white desert from the deck of the Ocean Endeavour, but it's another to zip through the freezing southern ocean waters to get within feet of mammoth icebergs and all of the beautiful wildlife.</p><p>I saw everything from Antarctic birds and humpback whales to chinstrap penguins and seals. The serenity made it easy to forget about the cold, wind, and rain.</p><div type="image" title="A selfie of the author on a zodiac with hundreds of penguins in the background." height="3024" width="4032" msid="106252003" hostid="261" sizebytes="921252"></div><p>Through this conversation, I quickly let go of any frustration I had and remembered the trip allowed me to make incredible bonds and experience some of my life's greatest moments — making every single stomach ache and disappointment worth the hassle.</p>

I spent $5,700 to visit Antarctica. It was one of the most draining trips of my life — but I don't regret it.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/oqUzp8mGCDI">Unsplash/George Hiles</a></span></p><p class="caption">Kynance Cove Beach, Helston, England.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A little over a year after David Attenborough warned in Blue Planet II that marine habitats are being destroyed, <strong> the UK government's "blue belt" initiative shows progress in protecting endangered waters.</strong></li><li>The scale of the project is vast, aiming to protect over four million square kilometres of British waters from fishing and pollution by 2020.</li></ul><p>LONDON - A little over a year ago, the broadcaster David Attenborough issued a stark warning to humanity. Detailing how plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change are destroying ocean habitats, he said "We are at a unique stage in our history: Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet." He added: "The future of humanity and indeed all life on Earth, now depends on us."</p><p>Awareness about how humans are destroying the oceans - primarily through overfishing, climate change, and plastic pollution - has been on the rise ever since, with the likes of actor Stephen Fry, model Cara Delevingne, and celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tweeting their support for ocean protection. However, a recent UK government initiative could be the key to saving the oceans.</p><p>Launched in 2017, the so-called "blue belt" is a programme which aims to safeguard the coastline of the UK and its overseas territories. In Britain itself, that includes an area of coastline nearly eight times the size of greater London.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>UK Government</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But the majority of the blue belt lies beyond British shores in the UK's 14 overseas areas, from huge penguin colonies in the South Atlantic and tropical rainforests in the Caribbean to tropical rainforests in the Caribbean.</p><p>In those overseas territories, some 85% of the critically endangered species the UK is responsible for are found.</p><p>The scale of the project is vast, aiming to protect over four million square kilometres of British waters by 2020.</p><h2>So what is the blue belt?</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Getty / Mint Images / Art Wolfe</span></p><p class="caption">Chinstrap penguins, Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The blue belt is a series of marine conservation zones around the UK and UK territories' coastline. Any new activities which harm wildlife - such as dredging, or any significant building projects - will be banned in those areas.</p><p>Commercial fishing is also being banned in large parts of the blue belt. As part of the blue belt initiative, the government announced that commercial fishing would be banned from one million square kilometres around British overseas territories. </p><p>It also created marine protected areas around four islands in the Pacific and Atlantic, including an 840,000 square kilometre area around Pitcairn, and a 445,000 square kilometre area around St Helena, which is home to rare whale sharks and humpbacks. </p><p>The UK government also plans to designate two further protection zones, one each around the south Atlantic islands of Ascension by 2019, and Tristan da Cunha by 2020.</p><p>Fishing is banned in all of Pitcairn's zone - except for "sustainable" local fishing - and will be banned in half of the Ascension's 445,000 square kilometre areas. Fishing is allowed in the other areas, but activities such as oil drilling are prohibited.</p><p>In overseas territories, it helps protect the vast amount of coastal wildlife: Breeding grounds for endangered turtles, one-third of the world's albatrosses, and one-quarter of the world's penguins are all located within British Overseas Territories, according to Defra.</p><p>Along Britain's coastline, it is important for the purposes of protecting rare and endangered British species such as the short-snouted seahorse, the stalked jellyfish, and the peacock's tail seaweed.</p><p>There are many other types of marine protected areas in the UK too, which are designed to protect rare or nationally important habitats, meaning a total of 209,000 square kilometres of British coastline are protected in total. That's two-fifths of Britain's entire coastline, according to Defra.</p><h2>Will the blue belt be enough?</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/searchphotos/photo.pl?mission=ISS040&amp;roll=E&amp;frame=12110">NASA</a></span></p><p class="caption">Earth's oceans sparkle in the sun in photos taken from space.</p></div><p></p></div></div>It's too early to tell in the UK's overseas territories, where the success of the project will not be known before it is fully rolled out in 2020.</p><p>But it certainly appears to be helping in the UK.</p><p>The Wildlife Trust announced in December that 2018 had been a good year for British wildlife thanks to the help of conservation action in Britain's coasts, with increasing sightings of marine wildlife. The organisation said seahorses, little terns and crawfish are among the creatures making a comeback in UK seas, with dozens more animals being spotted in greater numbers: nudibranches (sea slugs) and curled octopuses were all spotted in greater numbers too. Basking sharks were seen in Cardigan Bay, Wales, for the first time in three years.</p><p>However, there is still a huge amount of work to do before our oceans are clean and our species are protected. Plastic - mostly from fishing rope - is now found in almost 100% of gannet nests, posing a big risk to the iconic birds and their chicks.  On one estuary in Kent alone, nearly 3,000 kilograms of rubbish were collected in a clean-up drive, the Wildlife Trust said. Dr Lissa Batey, senior living seas officer at The Wildlife Trusts, said in a statement: "This review of sightings and action from across the UK has given a glimpse, a mere taster, of the wonders of our marine wildlife - delightful species that everyone has the opportunity to encounter and learn more about.</p><p>"But it has also shown us the problems that remain and the challenges that our sea life faces.</p><p>"It's not too late. We are already seeing recovery in some of our marine protected areas, but we don't yet have a fully functioning network of nature reserves at sea, where wildlife has the opportunity to thrive."</p><p>Protecting our oceans in the long-term will require even greater public awareness, co-operation with key industries such manufacturing and fishing, and significant investment. But the recent recovery of dwindling species offers a glimpse of what marine conservation efforts can achieve.</p><section data-track-content="" data-post-type="post"><div><div data-piano-inline-content-wrapper=""><p><em>This article is part of a collaboration with James Blunt and the marine conservation charity Blue Marine Foundation. The charity is dedicated to creating marine reserves and establishing sustainable models of fishing, with a mission to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030. To find out more visit<span> </span><a href="http://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.bluemarinefoundation.com</a></em></p></div></div></section>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/msnbc-host-chris-hayes-president-trump-china-trade-war-2018-12">MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

You Searched For "chinstrap penguin" and got 3 results

Penguins employ thousands of microsleeps to achieve 11 hours' slumber daily!

Ankush Banerjee

I spent $5,700 to visit Antarctica. It was one of the most draining trips of my life — but I don't regret it.

Taylor Rains

How a 'blue belt' could save 4 million square kilometres of the world's oceans

Thomas Colson

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides