中文导读 夜里，一只跳蛛用丝线倒挂在盒顶，看起来像在睡觉——但没有眼睑的动物，怎样证明它真的进入了睡眠？波恩大学 Daniela Rößler、Nadja Geiger 等研究者以澳洲跳蛛 Portia fimbriata 为对象，在《美国科学院院刊》（PNAS）报告：它们呈现可调节的两阶段睡眠，并出现类似快速眼动（REM）的阶段。NPR 于 2026 年 11 月 2 日报道了这项工作；校方研究简讯标注日期为 10 月 27 日。阅读时可留意 therefore、after、yet 如何连接方法、结果与局限，以及 may、suggests 如何保留对演化解释的分寸。
正文 When a jumping spider hangs upside down on a silk thread at night , is it only resting , or is it truly asleep ? A new study of the Australian species Portia fimbriata offers clearer answers . Researchers at the University of Bonn report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the spiders show regulated sleep with two stages including a REM-like state . NPR covered the work on 2 November 2026, days after a University of Bonn research note dated 27 October .
本段译文 夜里，当一只跳蛛倒挂在丝线上时，它只是在休息，还是真的睡着了？一项关于澳洲物种 Portia fimbriata 的新研究给出了更清楚的答案。波恩大学的研究者在《美国科学院院刊》报告，这些蜘蛛表现出可调节的、包含类似 REM 状态的两阶段睡眠。NPR 于 2026 年 11 月 2 日报道了这项工作，距离波恩大学 10 月 27 日的研究简讯仅数日。
Most sleep science comes from vertebrates such as humans , birds and fish . Spiders have no eyelids , so scientists cannot rely on closed eyes . Daniela R ößler and Nadja Geiger therefore tested several behavioral signs of sleep . The spiders preferred a hanging posture , stayed inactive for long night periods , and woke when disturbed . They also responded more slowly to a tiny Bluetooth speaker playing a sharp sound while hanging still . After one night of continuous disturbance with fruit flies , the animals slept longer the next night and showed more REM-like bouts . That catch-up pattern is called sleep rebound , a key mark of real sleep rather than simple rest .
本段译文 大多数睡眠科学来自人类、鸟类和鱼类等脊椎动物。蜘蛛没有眼睑，因此科学家不能依赖“闭眼”来判断。Daniela Rößler 与 Nadja Geiger 于是检验了若干行为学睡眠标志。蜘蛛偏好悬挂姿势，整夜长时间不活动，并在受打扰时醒来。它们在静止悬挂时，对微型蓝牙扬声器播放的尖锐声音反应也更慢。经历一个用果蝇持续干扰的夜晚后，这些动物次日睡得更久，并出现更多类似 REM 的时段。这种补觉模式称为睡眠反弹，是区分真实睡眠与单纯休息的关键标志。
During quiet rest , the team saw short active episodes . Retinal tubes inside the spiders ‘ eyes moved , legs twitched , and sometimes legs curled , much as dogs or cats do in REM sleep . Across recorded nights , REM-like bouts lasted about one to one and a half minutes and returned many times . The work builds on earlier observations in another jumping spider and now meets stricter tests for true sleep in an arachnid with a very different nervous system
本段译文 在安静休息期间，研究团队看到短暂的活跃片段。蜘蛛眼内的视网膜管在移动，腿部抽动，有时还会蜷腿，很像狗或猫进入 REM 睡眠时的样子。在记录的夜间里，类似 REM 的片段大约持续一到一分半钟，并多次重复。这项工作建立在对另一种跳蛛的早期观察之上，如今以更严格的检验，证明神经系统截然不同的蛛形纲动物也可能有真正的睡眠。
Why does this matter for wider biology ? Sleep leaves animals vulnerable , so evolution must gain something important from it . Amita Sehgal of the University of Pennsylvania , who was not part of the study , notes that similar behavior in flies , jellyfish and now spiders suggests sleep may have appeared early in animal history . The Bonn group plans to compare wild and laboratory spiders and to ask how artificial light at night affects their rest . The sample is still small , and the team could not record spider brain activity , so claims about dreams remain out of reach Yet the behavioral evidence makes one point hard to dismiss : even a coin -sized hunter may need deep rest , not just a pause between hunts
本段译文 这对更广泛的生物学为什么重要？睡眠使动物变得脆弱，因此进化必定从中获得某种重要收益。未参与本研究的宾夕法尼亚大学学者 Amita Sehgal 指出，果蝇、水母以及如今的蜘蛛都出现类似行为，提示睡眠可能在动物演化早期就已出现。波恩团队计划比较野外与实验室中的蜘蛛，并追问夜间人造光如何影响它们的休息。样本仍然较小，团队也无法记录蜘蛛的脑活动，因此关于“做梦”的说法仍超出目前证据。然而行为证据让一个要点难以否定：即便只有硬币大小的猎手，也可能需要深度休息，而不只是狩猎之间的停顿。
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