Snooze Button For Body's Circadian Clock
Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 22:35
in Biology & Nature
We may use the snooze button to fine-tune our sleep cycles, but our cells have a far more meticulous and refined system. Humans, and most other organisms, have 24-hour rhythms that are regulated by a precise molecular clock that ticks inside every cell. After decades of study, researchers are still identifying all the gears involved in running this "circadian" clock and are working to put each of the molecular cogs in its place. A new study now shows how two of the key molecules interact to regulate the clock's cycle and uncovers how that switch can go haywire, identifying one potential cause of heritable sleep disorders.