In the Realm of Morpheus

Morpheus is an ancient Greek god associated with sleep and dreams. The metaphor “in the arms of Morpheus” often refers to a person asleep, usually an untroubled and dreamy sleep. This exhibition will unravel the mysterious nature of the state we spend about 1/3 of our lives in. Discover whether animals can also see dreams, whether they sleep and dream differently from people and why we need sleep.

Find out about the interesting results of “sleepless” experience, what percent of our dreams are actually positive, “happy”. Learn if it’s worth staying up all night studying before an exam; if a cup of strong coffee can replace several hours of sleep; if it’s efficient to sleep only 2 hours a night like Leonardo da Vinci and Julius Caesar; who is the most efficient at work – those who go to bed and get up early or those staying up late and sleeping in.

Animals have adjusted their sleeping schedule to increase their chances to survive: some sleep with one half of their brain, while the other one is awake like dolphins; some need only 2 hours of sleep like giraffes; some can spend up to18 hours asleep like opossums and weasels. Explore why birds don’t fall off a branch when sleeping, why flamingos sleep standing on one leg, why dogs walk around in a circle before falling asleep, and many other exciting facts.

 A red panda.

A sleeping brown bear.

Veselov P. A sleeping baby elephant, from the State Darwin Museum reserves.