Scientists conducted a genetic screening study in fruit flies to understand how sleep and the body’s ability to survive without food are connected. They discovered that a gene called unc79 plays an important role in promoting wakefulness and affecting how long flies can survive starvation. Interestingly, this gene works in a brain region called the mushroom body and functions differently there than it does in controlling daily biological rhythms. These findings help explain how sleep and metabolism are linked, which could have implications for understanding human sleep disorders and metabolic diseases.