A fish that swims in limestone caverns under the Somalian desert has something to tell scientists about keeping time. Despite living in permanent darkness, with no difference between day and night, this blind cave-dweller still has its own quirky sense of rhythm.
The Somalian cave fish, Phreatichthys andruzzii, has an inner timekeeper that ticks out a roughly 47-hour cycle set by food rather than sunlight, scientists from Italy, Germany and Spain report online September 6 in PLoS Biology. This odd biological clock may teach scientists more about the molecular pathways that govern such clocks, why clocks are important to organisms and how living things adapt when their clocks are no longer tied to cycles set by the rising and setting of the sun.
Most animals, plants and some kinds of bacteria follow the sun’s cue in setting their own daily clocks. These biological, or circadian, clocks help govern sleeping, waking and feeding times, the rise and fall of blood pressure and other daily rhythms. Generally, circadian clocks follow an approximately 24-hour cycle and are reset largely by sunlight. When people’s circadian clocks aren’t set correctly, jet lag and even long-term health problems can result. Researchers study fish and other organisms to learn how circadian clocks’ gears mesh.