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posted by martyb on Monday October 02 2017, @11:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the I'll-sleep-on-it dept.

The Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to a trio of American scientists for their discoveries on the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms – in other words, the 24-hour body clock.

According to the Nobel committee's citation, £825,000 prize shared between American scientists Jeffrey C Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W Young were recognised for their discoveries explaining "how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it is synchronised with the Earth's revolutions." All three winners are from the US. Hall, 72, has retired but spent the majority of his career at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachussetts, where fellow laureate Rosbash, 73, is still a faculty member. Young, 68, works at Rockefeller University in New York.

The team identified a gene within fruit flies that controls the creatures' daily rhythm, known as the "period" gene. This gene encodes a protein within the cell during the night which then degrades during the day.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/oct/02/nobel-prize-for-medicine-awarded-for-insights-into-internal-biological-clock

[Also Covered By]:

Body clock scientists win Nobel Prize

How we tick: U.S. 'body clock' scientists win Nobel medicine prize


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @01:42AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @01:42AM (#576364)

    I think that is the current term? Neural plasticity?? While a 24 hour cycle is certainly common, it's not cast in stone.

    Years ago I was part of a team supporting a friend in the Bicycle Race Across AMerica (RAAM), where the riders often pedal all night. The crew went on a swing shift -- work two 6 hours shifts in a row, then sleep for 6 hours (in the back of a motorhome). In other words, an 18 hour daily cycle for the 11 days it took to finish the race. It was easy to adapt to at the start, we were all young and there was plenty of pressure from the competition. It had the desired effect of everyone sharing in the difficult night time hours. But afterwords, it took a month or two of waking up at odd times to get back to a more normal schedule. I confirmed this with several others from the team.

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  • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Tuesday October 03 2017, @04:49AM

    by PiMuNu (3823) on Tuesday October 03 2017, @04:49AM (#576427)

    Folks I know taking multi-day trips in caves end up working a 36 hour day-cycle (18 hours caving, 18 hours sleeping)

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @12:20PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 03 2017, @12:20PM (#576543)

    Article here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_work [wikipedia.org]
    Describes different shift schedules in manufacturing, health care, etc. References various studies on productivity and effects on personal health.