Another Clock Found

John K Clark (johnkc@well.com)
Fri, 16 Jan 1998 09:40:29 -0800 (PST)


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I don't know if it has anything to do with aging but in today's (Jan 16) issue
of Science, the same one that has the stuff about telomerase and immortal
human cells, there is another interesting article. Scott Campbell and Patricia
Murphy found another biological clock, it works at a much higher level than
the cell and is a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus.
This clock is responsible for our sleep patterns among other things, when it
gets out of whack we get jet lag and winter depression. Campbell and Murphy
found a way to reset this clock with light, but the astonishing thing is that
the light need not be applied to the eyes, anywhere on the skin will do,
the back of the knee for example. There must be a signal but how the brain
knows that light is being applied to the back of the knee is a mystery.
The authors say the procedure is harmless and easy to do and should soon be
in common use on airliners. Any potential for more profound applications
remains to be seen.

John K Clark johnkc@well.com

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