Being a city dweller can have an impact on your biological clock - Indian Express

Press Trust of India : Berlin, Sat Jun 08 2013, 13:10 hrs Living in the city can have a major effect on the internal clocks of both humans and animals which could lead to increased incidence of health problems and reduced lifespan, researchers have claimed. (Reuters) Living in the city can have a major effect on the internal clocks of both humans and animals which could lead to increased incidence of health problems and reduced lifespan, researchers have claimed. Biologists from the University of Glasgow in UK and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany have now discovered for the first time that the biological rhythms of city-dwelling organisms are changing in response to city living. The researchers measured the circadian rhythms, the 24-hour cycle of biological activity, of groups of urban and rural blackbirds in southern Germany and found that the city-dwellers had faster and less robust internal clocks than rural blackbirds. In the wild, city birds woke up earlier and rested less than forest birds. The researchers captured adult male European blackbirds from the city of Munich and a nearby rural forest. Each bird was equipped with a lightweight radio-transmitter which monitored their daily levels of activity in the wild for 10 days before they were recaptured. They were then kept in light-proofed, sound-insulated chambers and their circadian rhythms were measured under constant conditions, without any environmental information that could serve as a 'clock'. In this way, each bird's own, internal rhythm could be tested. Once the tests were complete the birds were returned to the wild. "The daily cycles of activity and rest are based on biological rhythms which have evolved as an adaptation to the rising and setting of the Sun," said Barbara Helm, of the University of Glasgow's Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative Medicine. "Our tests were designed to benchmark the internal rhythms of the birds under controlled conditions and to determine a link to the birds' chronotype in the wild. "Chronotype is a measure of an individual's consistent timing relative to environmental factors, ie, its relative 'morningness' or 'eveningness'. ... contd. ALSO READ Obese mothers may pass health risks on to grandkids: Study The skin doctor Breastfeeding boosts babies' brain growth Birth control pills tied to lower ovarian cancer risk Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s). via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNFhFoI4sPrNWY_2VV0uFZzIi9JH8g&url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/being-a-city-dweller-can-have-an-impact-on-your-biological-clock/1126673/

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