Animals possess circadian clocks, or 24-hour oscillators, to regulate daily behavior. These typically take their cues from the periodic change of sunlight and darkness. However, many animals are also exposed to moonlight, ...
"Nothing is certain except for death and taxes," said Benjamin Franklin. Of course, he left out another certainty for humankind: sleep. All humans sleep, albeit some better than others. But do all animals sleep, too?
Giving off a comfortable glow, candles set the ambiance for a special dinner or just a quiet evening at home. However, some lighting alternatives, such as electronic candles, give off unwanted blue wavelengths that interfere ...
During fetal development, before the biological clock starts ticking on its own, genes within the fetus's developing clock respond to rhythmic behavior in the mother, according to a new study publishing May 24th in the open-access ...
Besides planting milkweed in the garden, people interested in helping monarch butterflies might want to turn off the porch light.
Researchers have identified a key mechanism involved with the setting of the circadian clock of cyanobacteria—a model organism for study by chronobiologists due to the organism having one of the earliest circadian systems ...
Scientists want to increase their understanding of circadian rhythms, those internal 24-hour biological clock cycles of sleeping and waking that occur in organisms, ranging from humans to plants to fungi to bacteria. A research ...
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an anthropogenic chemical used as a raw material for plastics such as polycarbonate and epoxy resins, and for the inner coating of canned foods. BPA has been detected in human specimens, including fetuses. ...
The U.S. Senate approved the Sunshine Protection Act in March 2022, with the goal of making daylight saving time permanent starting in November 2023. If that happens, the U.S. will never again "spring forward" or "fall back."
Life on Earth runs in 24-hour cycles. From tiny bacteria to human beings, organisms adapt to alterations of day and night. External factors, such as changes in light and temperature, are needed to entrain the clock. Many ...
