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posted by cmn32480 on Saturday September 24 2016, @12:47PM   Printer-friendly
from the sleepy-time dept.

The singing of midshipman fish is linked to the melatonin cycle:

The researchers found the singing was controlled by a hormone that helps humans to sleep - melatonin. And looking more closely at how melatonin acts on receptors in different parts of the fish's brain could help explain why it is such a powerful "chemical clock" with a role in the timing of sleep-wake cycles, reproduction and birdsong. Prof Andrew Bass, who led the research, said his curiosity about midshipman fish had been piqued by a paper written in 1924 by an academic called Charles Greene, which described how the male fish would hum at night.

[...] To find out if the humming was controlled by an internal clock, or circadian rhythm, the team first kept a group of midshipman fish in constant light. This almost completely suppressed their humming. "But when [we gave the fish] a melatonin substitute," said Prof Bass, "they continued to hum, though at random times of day without a rhythm. "Melatonin essentially acted as a 'go' signal for the midshipman's nocturnal calling."


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  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:32PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @02:32PM (#405939)

    Marching causes midshipmen to spontaneously sing "I don' t know but I've been told."

  • (Score: 2) by ilPapa on Saturday September 24 2016, @03:14PM

    by ilPapa (2366) on Saturday September 24 2016, @03:14PM (#405947) Journal

    I'm pretty sure this story will have the best headline to appear in my RSS feed this weekend.

    --
    You are still welcome on my lawn.
  • (Score: 2) by fishybell on Saturday September 24 2016, @05:26PM

    by fishybell (3156) on Saturday September 24 2016, @05:26PM (#405984)

    Mating in midshipman fishes depends on auditory communication. Male midshipman fish produce several different vocalizations while females only make grunts in non-breeding situations.

    I've met people like this

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @06:19PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 24 2016, @06:19PM (#406003)

      You really.can tell it's springtime in Los Angeles based upon the bass density...