Editor,

If you’ve lived with a dog or a cat for any length of time you know they dream. You might not know that all mammals, as well as birds and rats, and even spiders and cuttlefish, may also dream. Researchers have noted REM (rapid eye movement) in a broad array of animals while they sleep. In humans REM occurs in deep sleep, where most of our dreaming takes place, so it raises the question: Is dreaming more wide-spread than scientists previously thought, and if these animals are dreaming, does that indicate a higher level of consciousness than has been accepted?

Scientists are generally constrained by Morgan’s Canon which requires animal behavior to be considered the result of simple psychological processes. Dreaming does not fit that mold. Dreaming implies emotions and feelings and complex cognitive activity. In a U of W lab a chimpanzee who was taught to use ASL (American Sign Language) was observed using it to ask for coffee, in his sleep. Coffee had become a favorite of his. The fact that pigs experience REM sleep shouldn’t be a surprise since they recognize their own names, enjoy listening to music and are quite empathetic with one another. They also enjoy a good massage. This raises a different question: Why doesn’t killing and eating these animals give us nightmares?

Verrall Hoover

Langley