You may have heard that exposure to blue light can disrupt your sleep. As it turns, out it's also harmful to wildlife.
Plants & Animals
Sep 9, 2022
2
101
(Phys.org) —An international team of scientists led by National Institutes of Health researchers has traced the likely origin of the enzyme needed to manufacture the hormone melatonin to roughly 500 million years ago.
Biotechnology
Dec 27, 2013
1
0
In the 1980s, people living on houseboats in the San Francisco Bay were puzzled by a droning hum of unknown origin that started abruptly in the late evening and stopped suddenly in the morning.
Plants & Animals
Sep 23, 2016
0
25
An international team of researchers used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to create the first detailed maps of two melatonin receptors that tell our bodies when to go to sleep ...
Biochemistry
Apr 24, 2019
0
556
When zebrafish lack a specific protein, the two hemispheres of the brain develop symmetrically, and the sleep hormone melatonin is not produced. These results were recently published by Freiburg biologists Theresa Schredelseker ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 4, 2018
0
6
In the far northern reaches of the Arctic, day versus night often doesn't mean a whole lot. During parts of the year, the sun does not set; at other times, it's just the opposite. A new study reported online on March 11th ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 11, 2010
2
0
Melatonin is a widely used supplement. Many people turn to the hormone hoping it will improve their sleep, but do claims of its efficacy have any merit?
Other
May 10, 2018
1
7
For the first time, large amounts of melatonin are being made by bacteria. In industrial sized fermentation vats, harmless strains of engineered E. coli bacteria are feeding on glucose and churning out melatonin, the hormone ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 14, 2023
0
35
Melatonin controls the body clock—high melatonin levels make us feel tired in the evening. However, the hormone also plays an important role in animals' biological rhythms. Artificial light at night—light pollution—can ...
Environment
Apr 3, 2020
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26
Animals need to measure the time of year so that they can anticipate and adapt to the arrival of a new season to align reproduction, as well as other vital functions critical for survival. A new study, conducted at the University ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 6, 2017
0
22
Melatonin i/ˌmɛləˈtoʊnɪn/, also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring compound found in animals, plants, and microbes. In animals, circulating levels of the hormone melatonin vary in a daily cycle, thereby allowing the entrainment of the circadian rhythms of several biological functions.
Many biological effects of melatonin are produced through activation of melatonin receptors, while others are due to its role as a pervasive and powerful antioxidant, with a particular role in the protection of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
In mammals, melatonin is secreted into the blood by the pineal gland in the brain. Known as the "hormone of darkness," it is secreted in darkness in both day-active (diurnal) and night-active (nocturnal) animals.
It may also be produced by a variety of peripheral cells such as bone marrow cells, lymphocytes, and epithelial cells. Usually, the melatonin concentration in these cells is much higher than that found in the blood, but it does not seem to be regulated by the photoperiod.
Research has shown that when bird chicks ingest melatonin-rich plant feed, such as rice, the melatonin binds to melatonin receptors in their brains. No food has been found to elevate plasma melatonin levels in humans.
Products containing melatonin have been available over-the-counter as dietary supplements in the United States since the mid-1990s. In many other countries, the over-the-counter sale of this neurohormone is not permitted or requires a prescription, and the U.S. Postal Service lists unapproved melatonin preparations among items prohibited by Germany.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
