Mammals dream about the world they are about to experience before they are born (news.yale.edu)

Article summary

A Yale study suggests that mammals, including humans, may dream about the world they are about to experience before they are born. The study found that waves of activity in the neonatal retina of mice mimic the activity that would occur if the animal were moving forward through the environment. This early brain activity may help prepare the animal to respond to environmental threats immediately after birth. The study's findings have implications for our understanding of how the brain develops and prepares for the world after birth.

Main themes

• fetal development
• brain activity
• dreaming
• innate abilities
• mammalian development
• neural networks

What commenters say

• The idea that fetuses dream is not implausible, given that they have cycles of REM sleep and apparent wakefulness.
• The concept of dreaming in fetuses is related to the debate about when human life begins and what rights a fetus has.
• The brain is not a blank slate at birth, but rather has some innate abilities and patterns of activity that are primed before birth.
• The ability of mammals to quickly adapt to their environment after birth may be due to pre-natal brain activity that prepares them for the world.
• The study's findings have implications for our understanding of how the brain develops and prepares for the world after birth, and may challenge some common assumptions about fetal development.
• The idea that fetuses are not conscious or alive is not supported by scientific evidence, and may be a way to avoid dealing with the moral implications of fetal development.
• The brain's ability to learn and adapt after birth is influenced by pre-natal activity, and may be related to the concept of transfer learning in artificial neural networks.