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Nature's Timepiece Identified

Posted by timothy on from the and-1-and-2-and-3-and-again dept.

Makarand writes "Nature's timepiece, a two-sided cylindrical protein that tells cells when to grow and when to rest, has been identified according to these reports on MSNBC and on Purdue News. The protein directs 12-minute growth and rest cycles in living cells. Scientists at Purdue were able to confirm its function by first identifying the gene that produces this protein and then altering the protein to produce cycles of between 22 and 42 minutes. This discovery promises new insight into cellular activity such as cholesterol synthesis, respiration, heart rhythms, response to drugs, sleep and alertness. We may be able to improve our of methods of minimzing jet-lag and correcting sleep disorders."

7 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Prediction: by sporktoast · · Score: 2, Funny

    There will follow lots of posts with jokes about overclocking.

    Some may actually be funny.

    --
    In a related story, the IRS has recently ruled that the cost of Windows upgrades can NOT be deducted as a gambling loss.
  2. Unavailable for comment at the time by Hubert_Shrump · · Score: 4, Funny

    were Nature's wallet, suspenders, and sock garters.

    --
    Keep your packets off my GNU/Girlfriend!
  3. Re:I'm missing something by Fyz · · Score: 3, Funny

    To hell with the sick! I want to know if this can make me immortal!

  4. Help me stay awake... by c0d34w4y · · Score: 2, Funny

    Could this help me (one day, maybe?) stay away for much longer each day? Presently, I max out at 18 hours a day without sleep. This much time is enough to churn out only so much of code.. but think of the implications if I and numerous others who find joy in churning out free code could code for a bit longer within a span of 24 hours?

    And all this with little side-effect to other bodily functions... ;-)

  5. Re:12 hours in a day? by BCoates · · Score: 4, Funny

    Also the reason we have 360 degrees in a circle despite the fact that radians make much more sense is because greek

    "Drive 3 blocks north, then take the one-quarter pi radian turn right, and go another block."

    Yeah, that's a real useful unit.

    --
    Benjamin Coates

  6. But I thought.... by watzinaneihm · · Score: 2, Funny

    From the article Heavy water - water made of two atoms of deuterium, the isotope of hydrogen with an extra neutron in its nucleus - could alter the clock to run on a 27-hour day.

    Heavy drinking causes sleepiness.... So

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    .ACMD setaloiv siht gnidaeR
  7. Of course... by Wireless+Joe · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Nature's timepiece, a two-sided cylindrical protein...

    I thought about how a cylinder could have two sides for a second, and realized that of course it's two sided...it has an inside and an outside.

    Ba-dum-bum.