U.S. scientists win Nobel medicine prize for body clock research

Three American researchers won this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine for discoveries about the body’s circadian rhythms. The internal biological “clock” helps adapt to different phases of the day and night, influencing sleep, behavior, hormone levels, body temperature, and metabolism. Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young discovered the gene that governs circadian rhythms, pinpointing the potential source for irregularity. Their research, done mostly in the mid 1980s, also highlighted the importance of getting enough sleep. “Our wellbeing is affected when there is a temporary mismatch between our external environment and this internal biological clock, for example when we travel across several time zones and experience ‘jet lag,’” the Nobel Assembly said in a statement. “There are also indications that chronic misalignment between our lifestyle and the rhythm dictated by our inner time keeper is associated with increased risk for various diseases.” The three men will split the $1.1 million prize.