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My scientific specialty is chronobiology (circadian rhythms and photoperiodism), with additional interests in comparative physiology, animal behavior and evolution. I am not an MD so I cannot diagnose and treat your sleep problems. As well as writing this blog, I am also the Online Discussion Expert for PLoS. This is a personal blog and opinions within it in no way reflect the policies of PLoS. You can contact me at: Coturnix@gmail.com

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Rhythmic Human:
Category: Rhythmic Human
I regularly get Google News alerts for articles that contain the word "circadian" in them. Most of them are not too exciting, but when a really good one comes along, I like to point it out to you. Today, you...
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Posted by Coturnix at 12:00 PM • 3 Comments •
Category: Rhythmic Human
Ask the pilot: Ask yourself this: Whom would you prefer at the controls of your plane on a stormy night, a pilot who smoked a joint three days ago, or one who had six hours of sleep prior to a...
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Posted by Coturnix at 10:09 PM • 2 Comments •
Category: Sleep
Nice four articles: The Gears of the Sleep Clock By Allan Pack: When people have trouble sleeping--such as, in extreme cases, shift workers--those problems are not always rooted in disturbances in circadian rhythm, argues the University of Pennsylvania's ALLAN PACK....
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Posted by Coturnix at 7:22 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Rhythmic Human
BBC 4 had a fascinating half-hour show yesterday, interviewing Till Roenneberg and Helen Emsellem on all sorts of fascinating new findings in the field of human chronobiology. Well worth a listen. But hurry up as the podcast is available only...
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Posted by Coturnix at 1:32 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Rhythmic Human
Circadian rhythms: Of owls, larks and alarm clocks in Nature News (download PDF while the article is still freely available), written by Melissa Lee Phillips is an excellent overview of the current state of knowledge about human circadian rhythms, underlying...
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Posted by Coturnix at 9:12 AM • 1 Comments •
Category: Chronobiology
Yup, it's tonight. If you were around here a few months ago, the day after the Fall Back day, you probably read this post. Disregarding the debate over rhetoric of science, that is probably my best, most detailed explanation for...
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Posted by Coturnix at 7:26 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Blogging
NYTimes: Eliminating daylight time would thus accord with President-elect Barack Obama's stated goals of conserving resources, saving money, promoting energy security and reducing climate change. Eugene Sandhu: In order to conserve energy, President-elect Barak Obama should eliminate daylight saving time....
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Posted by Coturnix at 9:09 PM • •
Category: Clock News
Related to this discussion, there is a new interesting study out - Daily rhythms in blood vessels may explain morning peak in heart attacks: It's not just the stress of going to work. Daily rhythms in the activity of cells...
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Posted by Coturnix at 12:20 PM • 1 Comments •
Category: Clock News
If you live in (most places in) the United States as well as many other countries, you have reset your clocks back by one hour last night (or last week). How will that affect you and other people? One possibility...
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Posted by Coturnix at 2:46 PM • 55 Comments •
Category: Rhythmic Human
Once a year, I go back to my alma mater and do a guest lecture about biological clocks in an Anatomy & Physiology class. Knowing how many pre-meds are among the 200 students in the room, I try to start...
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Posted by Coturnix at 4:16 PM • 4 Comments •