(Phys.org) —From cyanobacteria to humans, many terrestrial species have acquired circadian rhythms that adapt to sunlight in order to increase survival rates. Studies have shown that the circadian clocks in some organisms ...
New research from a multidisciplinary team helps to illuminate the mechanisms behind circadian rhythms, offering new hope for dealing with jet lag, insomnia and other sleep disorders.
Biochemistry
Apr 26, 2023
0
129
Squids, octopuses, cuttlefish, amphibians, and chameleon lizards are among the animals that can change the color of their skin in a blink of an eye. They have photoreceptors in their skin that operate independently of their ...
Evolution
Oct 16, 2019
2
3676
You've switched to the night shift and your weight skyrockets, or you wake at 7 a.m. on weekdays but sleep until noon on weekends—a social jet lag that can fog your Saturday and Sunday.
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 27, 2014
0
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Jet lag, as every long-distance airline passenger knows, disrupts the body's normal circadian rhythms, or body clocks, and causes some very unpleasant effects such as disturbed sleep and fatigue. Now scientists ...
INRAE researchers have discovered that female pheromones play a remarkable role in the African cotton moth. In general, these pheromones trigger mate attraction, promoting encounters between males and females during reproductive ...
Ecology
Apr 9, 2024
0
2
It's an observation as old as humans gathering around campfires: Light at night can draw an erratically circling crowd of insects. In art, music and literature, this spectacle is an enduring metaphor for dangerous but irresistible ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 3, 2024
1
2778
An international study of temperature variations in 12 caves around the world shows that a large part of the Earth's freshwater reserves available for immediate consumption can be at risk due to climate change.
Earth Sciences
Jan 25, 2024
0
86
Life on Earth runs on a 24-hour cycle as the planet turns. Animals and plants have built-in circadian clocks that synchronize metabolism and behavior to this daily cycle. But one beetle is out of sync with the rest of nature.
Plants & Animals
Jan 18, 2024
0
78
The internal clocks of grizzly bears appear to keep ticking through hibernation, according to a genetic study. This persistence highlights the strong role of circadian rhythms in the metabolism of many organisms including ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 16, 2023
1
74
A circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria (see bacterial circadian rhythms). The term "circadian", coined by Franz Halberg, comes from the Latin circa, "around," and diem or dies, "day", meaning literally "approximately one day." The formal study of biological temporal rhythms such as daily, tidal, weekly, seasonal, and annual rhythms, is called chronobiology.
Circadian rhythms are endogenously generated, and can be entrained by external cues, called Zeitgebers, the primary one of which is daylight. These rhythms allow organisms to anticipate and prepare for precise and regular environmental changes.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
