circadian clocks

Sunflowers may use a complex set of molecules to track the sun in the sky.

By studying tissues from deceased people, a team found that women have more rhythmical gene expression and that this molecular rhythmicity decreases with age.

A reference sequence for this emerging model organism will facilitate research on type 2 diabetes and the health effects of circadian rhythm disruption.

Before their own central clocks develop, the brains of fetal rats detect their mother’s metabolic cycle to help regulate the expression of certain genes.

Disturbing circadian rhythms in organoids and mice increases intestinal tumor growth, findings that may explain a recent rise in colon cancer among young adults, the researchers behind the work say.

The microbiota helps align a mouse’s innate immune system with its feeding patterns, prepping the animal to fend off infection when it’s most likely to be eating.

A light-sensitive gene involved in regulating the body clock may also influence mood, mediating the effect of light.

Two studies show that Plasmodium—the genus of protozoans that cause malaria—have an internal sense of time that synchronizes with their host’s circadian rhythms and allows the parasites to collectively attack blood cells.

Under constant darkness, Drosophila’s ability to form lasting memories is impaired.

The plant geneticist has revolutionized researchers’ understanding of how light affects plant growth and development, and is engineering plants to combat climate change.

As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.

The diurnal cycles of the microbiome alter the activity of a protein produced by the host, and in turn guide histone acetylation, gene expression, and metabolic activity.

Circadian rhythms heavily influence how our bodies use energy, a small study suggests.

Timekeepers in muscle help mediate metabolism, and may influence neurological processes such as sleep.

Just 20 years ago, scientists didn’t even realize muscles had their own circadian clocks. Now they are beginning to appreciate their importance in health. 

Even in mice with a busted circadian clock and an unhealthy diet, carefully timed feeding overcomes the rodents’ predispositions for metabolic diseases.

In Drosophila, the tissue is more permeable to drugs at night, offering a possible explanation for why some medicines work better at certain times of day.

Research in human patients and mice reveals the role of the circadian clock in the risk of heart damage at different times of day.