Bacteria divide like clockwork
It’s well established that critical human body functions, including sleep, hormone production and regulation of body temperature, follow a circadian (24-hour) cycle. These genetically programmed patterns stay in effect even under isolation from the naturally occurring daily light-dark cycles of the sun, and are found in nearly all organisms — animals, plants, fungi and even some bacteria.Although bacteria don’t “sleep” in the same way humans do, a type of bacteria known as cyanobacteria undergoes daily cycles of activity and rest. These bacteria depend on sunlight to perform photosynthesis, so they have evolved to be most active in daylight.A new study of cyanobacteria by a team of researchers at MIT and the University of California at San Diego has revealed, for the first time, how those circadian rhythms control the bacteria’s rate of cell division (their method of reproduction) in single cells. “These cells have to keep dividing, and the circadian...