WHY DO WE DREAM

In the winter of 1862, a chemistry professor in Belgium was working on finding the structure of Benzene, which is an unusual hydrocarbon molecule with the same number of hydrogen and carbon atoms. He was frustrated and decided to take a nap near the warm fire. As he slept, he dreamed of atoms and molecules dancing in his mind's eye, and one of the snakes coiling around and biting its tail like the ancient symbol of the ouroboros.

This dream led to the discovery of the chemical structure of benzene, just like the German chemist August Kekulé did in 1862, which contributed to the future of organic chemistry. Joe wonders why humans dream and how it benefits them. Scientists think that dreams have many functions that influence people's success, intelligence, and survival. Everyone dreams, and the brain goes through different phases during sleep, with the REM stage being the time when dreaming occurs.

Animals, including cats and dogs, also experience REM sleep and probably dream. Throughout history, people have held various beliefs about the significance of dreaming, from spiritual significance to dream interpretations, and Sigmund Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" claimed that dream interpretation could be used to understand unconscious desires,elude us while we’re awake.

Overall, while there is still much we don't understand about dreams, research has shown that they serve important functions for our brains. Dreams may help consolidate memories, simulate threatening or social situations, and even aid in problem-solving. While the days of viewing dreams solely as messages to be interpreted may be over, the study of dreams continues to reveal fascinating insights into the inner workings of our minds.

But why did dreaming evolve to begin with? Maybe thanks to the… rotation of our planet? That’s right. Scientists think the origin of dreaming just might have to do with the sheer amount of time that humans – and all animals – spend in the dark. Our ability to use our peepers and see the world around us is an extremely important evolutionary advantage. And because it’s so important, the part of the brain responsible for sight, called the visual cortex, takes up a big chunk of our brains. But there’s the thing. Our brains can also be rewired pretty easily. If you were blindfolded, your brain would begin to change within an hour of not using your sight. The neurons of the visual cortex start being taken over for other tasks. The lengthy darkness of nighttime, would have meant that the visual cortex of our human ancestors was at a high risk of being taken over by other functions while we slept. If we didn’t use it, we could lose it. Dreams, and their highly visual nature, may have evolved in mammals to keep these vulnerable brain areas active at night… And keep the brain from rewiring itself in unfortunate ways. So… which is it? Is it problem-solving, or practicing, or seeing, or is it problem solving or not about seeing, or a bit about practicing and a pinch of problems solving? Scientists don’t know if one or many of these ideas will prove to be correct, and so research continues. Ah, science. Always figuring stuff out.

Interesting! It's true that the purpose of dreaming is still largely unknown and debated among scientists. The theories you mentioned all offer different perspectives on why we dream, and it's possible that multiple factors contribute to the phenomenon. The idea that dreaming may have evolved to keep vulnerable brain areas active at night is certainly an intriguing one, and it's fascinating to think about how our brains have adapted to the challenges posed by the natural world. As research in this field continues, we may gain a better understanding of the functions of dreaming and how it contributes to our overall mental well-being.

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