Is it possible that some people need much less sleep than others?

It seems that there are some people who need less sleep than others, but it seems to be ~1-3% of the population. An article published by The Wall Street Journal talks about "http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703712504576242701752957910" and describes the characteristics. I haven't seen much research that explains why these people are the way they are, probably because relatively little is known about what sleep actually does to the body (and crucially why the body can't do that during a dormant conscious period or even during activity).

Sleep duration is no different that any other human biological trait. Just like height, weight or our fingerprints, we are all individuals when it comes to our sleep habits. Some people have genetic characteristics that mean they can get away with 5 hours or less per night without feeling tired during the day. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703712504576242701752957910 But as the graph shows below, the mean distribution is around 7-8 hours of sleep per night for most people. http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/05/11/internal-time-till-roenneber/

It is a known fact that some people need less sleep than others. However, for health reasons, the body does better with adequate sleep. I do not think 3-4 hrs on a continuous basis is sufficient. Like a battery, the body needs to recharge. In my opinion, 3-4 hrs over a lifetime is not sufficient. It is best to listen to your body, and it will tell you if you are getting enough sleep. I need 8 hrs.This answer is not a substitute for professional medical advic...

I can't answer as someone with experience needing less sleep, but I can answer as someone who feels optimally functional after 10. We are all a little different in our sleep needs and I suspect that not only is type and timing of exposure to the sun something that can change that, but also time of year, age, diet, any nutrient deficiencies, long-term stress, and habit. In fact, there's some evidence to suggest that we're not even naturally supposed to be sleeping in one chunk at night. Based on my experience and talking with other people, is it possible that some people simply need less sleep than others naturally: Yes. The question after after that, however, is one that I couldn't definitively answer; are these people who are sleeping less following their natural rhythms and performing optimally, or have they found ways to excel despite it?

Thomas Edison got three hours at most. Same with Nikolai Tesla when they worked together. Was it because of the demands of their work, or was it because they were both highly intelligent and extremely driven people? I know that I just answered with a question, but it does seem that these two qualities exist in people who do not sleep much. Or is it the other way around?