1 4570 /en/todai-research/research-highlights/why-biological-clocks-run-on-time/ /cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/clock_slider_250_155.jpg /cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/clock_slider_92_57.jpg Image ©Tomo.Yun Organisms from bacteria to humans maintain a 24-hour rhythm within their bodies. This circadian rhythm is produced by a circular metabolic process involving a particular protein, but also involves a mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades. The mystery in question concerns why the reaction that drives the circadian rhythm remains constant despite changes in temperature, even though reactions tend to speed up with increased temperature. Previously it was thought that organisms had some complex mechanism to maintain this rhythm, but the mystery deepened when it was recently shown that it is possible to reproduce such a temperature-independent cycle in a test tube with just three types of proteins. University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences P...Academic Information]]>