Immersive AP interactive highlights the secret world of animal sleep

This immersive interactive pulled audiences into the secret world of animal sleep — transforming complex science into a visually rich, accessible experience that revealed how animals rest in extreme environments: while soaring through the skies, diving deep underwater or guarding their young on land.

The idea began with science reporter Christina Larson, who spotted a broader trend while reporting on chinstrap penguins in Antarctica. Miniaturized tracking devices were offering researchers unprecedented insight into wild animal behavior — including, for the first time, sleep.

Larson’s reporting evolved into an ambitious cross-format collaboration focused on three animals whose sleep patterns defy expectations. Researchers shared exclusive brain-wave data, allowing Nicky Forster, Caleb Diehl and Parker Kaufmann to visualize REM and deep sleep episodes with scientific precision. Hyojin Yoo refined the 3D renderings, showing how a frigatebird flies for days with half its brain awake. Peter Hamlin added dreamlike illustrations, and Philip Holm designed a migratory map of the elephant seal’s long ocean journey.

The interactive was complemented by a companion explainer video from Mary Conlon, a vertical version by Kyle Viterbo, and broad promotional efforts led by Nelly Ontiveros Cervantes — all of which helped extend the storytelling across platforms and audiences.

Judges praised the project’s cross-format ambition, captivating presentation and success in making complicated science fascinating.

For cross-format coordination, exclusive reporting and notable explanatory work that captured the imagination, this team wins this week’s citation for second Best of the Week.