Longevity science

Disruption in circadian rhythms can lead to higher instances of weight gain and diabetes.

Humans have not evolved to efficiently work the night shift.

New research supports a largely unrecognized culprit in circadian rhythm disturbances: the gradual yellowing of the lens and the narrowing of the pupil that come with age.

Scientists at Duke will share a $14 million grant from DARPA to study biological clocks.

If scientists can isolate the genes, molecules and signals of human biological clocks, they could find ways to control and repair them if they are broken or damaged. A new DARPA grant will bring together many leading experts on the cell cycle, the circadian clock, the metabolism of yeast, root growth in plants and pulsing processes in bacteria, to deconstruct the molecular and genetic rhythms that keep these organisms alive. These scientists have four years to investigate the diverse rhythms of life.