The eight-hours mantra has no more scientific basis than the tooth fairy.

New pills are reinvigorating an old debate—how much sleep do we really need?

BACK in the 1960s, the contraceptive pill unshackled sex from human nature. Could a new class of tablets be about to do the same for sleep? Introducing CX717, a drug being developed by Cortex Pharmaceuticals of Irvine, California. It’s the first of what promises to be many aimed at detaching people from the daily routine of eight hours each for work, rest and play.

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