Ζωής

Organisms that inhabit the surface of the Earth have evolved an endogenous 24 hour clock that infiltrates every level of biological organisation from the molecular to the ecological. This biological timer is a critical adaptation to living on a rotating planet with predictable daily and seasonal cycles of light and dark, warmth and cold. The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster has provided the model system by which the highly conserved genetic and molecular basis of animal rhythmicity was initially dissected, winning a Nobel Prize in 2017 to its discoverers.