While the last gasp enjoys rather catholic cognizance, the first seems to be primarily the domain of a breed of physiologically curious pediatricians concerned with the respiratory health of newborns. In this issue Drs. Henrique Rigatto and June P. Brady,1,2 present studies attempting to unravel the mechanisms underlying the periodic breathing seen at times in otherwise "healthy" preterm infants. As is often the case, their efforts provoke more questions than they answer. Periodic breathing is considerably more common than its adult counterpart, Cheyne-Stokes ventilation, occurring in 30% to 40% of premature infants. The ventilatory pattern consists of a series of breaths interspersed with 3- to 15-second periods of apnea.