‘Dream-enactment’ soars during pandemic

Scientists have reported that “dream-enactment disorder” – in which people physically act out their dreams – has increased by two to four times during the pandemic. “They may punch or flail their arms in the air, make running movements, or even jump out of bed, sometimes resulting in injuries to themselves or their partner,” said Prof Yaping Liu, who led the study of 26,539 people from 15 countries. The Guardian said those who had been infected with Covid-19 were most likely to experience dream-enactment.

Jackdaws use ‘democratic’ process

Researchers have found that jackdaw birds use a “democratic” process to decide when to leave their roosts as a group. They discovered that the birds begin to call out when they want to leave and when the noise reaches a critical level, it signals that the roost is ready to depart – and the jackdaws fly away. “When a bird calls, it’s casting a vote or signalling it wants to leave,” Alex Thornton, professor of cognitive evolution at the University of Exeter, told BBC News.

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Woman breaks one-armed climb record

A woman born with her right arm missing below the elbow broke a Guinness World Record when she climbed 1,229 feet and nine inches using one arm. Anoushe Husain took on the challenge at The Castle Climbing Centre in London. “I was a normal person on the wall, I was just a climber. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like a person rather than as a chronically disabled person who is struggling with her own identity,” she told UPI.