The (Landmarks April 11), May 17, 1997, U.S. scientists revealed the mystery of the circadian clock mechanism.

1997 17, Northwestern University researchers found a gene control mice circadian clock, for the first time revealed the mystery of the mammalian circadian clock mechanism, operation mechanism of this understanding of the human circadian clock significance. (On TodayOnHistory.com) research team, led by
Northwestern University Joseph Taka Hashemi published in the journal "Cell" on May 17 reported that their by artificial culture biological rhythms occur confusion mice, found a critical chemical substances to control their biological clock, and then determine to determine a presence of this chemical substance called "clock" genes.
Taka Hashemi first drugs to make males sperm mutate and entirely in the dark, and then use this variant sperm to breed a new generation of mice, disrupting their biorhythms, its biological cycle a few hours longer than normal mice. After two years and in 2400 mice who experiment Taka Hashemi et al finally found the circadian clock gene, named "Clock". This gene in normal circumstances able to generate a 855 amino acids composed of a special "clock" protein, and this protein control by the total number of about 10, now have not yet been identified by scientists specific regulation of the biological rhythm gene . the
a long time, the biological clock mechanism has been a scientific mystery. Scientists only know circadian clock can control a variety of animals, including humans, sleep and wake cycles, hormone secretion in vivo, metabolic rate, body temperature and other physiological behavior, but on the composition of the circadian clock and the completion of the above work through what form has not been been able to fathom. Scientists seek to understand the biological clock structure in recent years to find a simple biological clock, such as fruit flies and fungus-related genes, but has not been able to make a breakthrough on the Mammal Research.
Taka Hashemi et al also found that the clock protein almost throughout the mice each important body parts and organs.