Scientists are unraveling the mystery of your body's clock – and soon may be able to reset it
Carrie L. Partch, University of California, Santa Cruz For people who don’t get sleepy until 2 a.m., the buzz of an alarm clock can feel mighty oppressive. Relief may be on the horizon, thanks to the discovery this spring of a genetic mutation that causes night-owl behavior . Whether you’re a night owl or a morning lark rising effortlessly each day with the sun, your sleep habits are regulated by circadian rhythms. These internal clocks control just about every aspect of our health, from appetite and sleep to cell division, hormone production and cardiovascular function. Like many who study the intricacies of circadian biology, I’m optimistic that one day we’ll be able to design drugs that synchronize our cellular clocks. Bosses frowning on tardy arrivals could soon become a thing of the past. Our internal clocks Nearly every cell in your body contains a molecular clock. Every 24 hours or so, dedicated clock proteins interact with one another in a slow dance. Ov...