chronobiology

But diurnal animals like humans, and crepuscular animals, like cats, that are naturally at their most active at dawn and at dusk, also have exquisitely calibrated chronobiology, with hormone patterns that change according to the light and processes that take place during either daytime, when the sun is out, or nighttime, when it's not.

"This study revealed genetic and non-genetic changes in biological rhythms while adapting to tidal environments in a freshwater snail. This result could lead to an understanding of the role of biological clocks in the adaptation to rhythmic environment, which is one of the most important issues in chronobiology," says Dr. Takahashi.

The body clock has a significant impact on the performance of NBA players, according to study published in the peer-reviewed journal Chronobiology International.

In fact, for chronobiology, which focuses on organisms' internal clocks, this distant relative of the dew worm has become one of the most important model species.

At the Centre for Chronobiology of the University of Basel, she investigates the effects of light on humans and is the first author of a study investigating the effects of different light colours on the internal clock and sleep.