Circadian Rhythms: Writ Large and Small

Time: Why and how do living organisms harmonize with this fourth dimension of our world? One way is through circadian rhythms. The name ‘circadian’ comes from Latin, circa diem, ‘about a day.’ These inexorable rhythms are due to the persistent beating of a biological clock in our brains and other tissues; and are also present in plants and eukaryotic life-forms. This lecture explores the history of circadian rhythms, how they function, and their role in governing features of human behavior, metabolism, and physiology.