Is sleep learning possible? A new Weizmann Institute study
appearing today in Nature Neuroscience online has found that if certain odors
are presented after tones during sleep, people will start sniffing when they
hear the tones alone – even when no odor is present – both during sleep and,
later, when awake. In other words, people can learn new information while they
sleep, and this can unconsciously modify their waking behavior.