SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Reindeer Body Clock Switched Off
from BBC News Online
Reindeer have no internal body clock, according to scientists.
Researchers found that the animals are missing a "circadian clock" that influences processes including the sleep-wake cycle and metabolism. This enables them to better cope with the extreme Arctic seasons of polar day, when the sun is stays up all day, and polar night, when it does not rise.
... The body clock, or circadian clock, is the internal mechanism that drives hormone release on a rhythmic 24-hour cycle. Light also influences these hormonal rhythms, but in most mammals, this "circuit" also involves the circadian clock, which can influence the release of hormones without the influence of light.
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