Time In The Living World

Chronobiology is the study of biological rhythms which are governed by endogenous pacemakers and entrained by geophysical correlates of the environment. Thus, there are circadian (daily), lunar-monthly and circannual rhythms characterising the biology and behaviour of organisms. Chronobiology research is now at the cutting edge of fields of enquiry ranging from microbial genetics to ethology to the treatment of human psychiatric illnesses. It is emerging as the most interdisciplinary of all biological disciplines and is the subject of countless papers in well-reputed science journals. The purpose of this book was not to compete with the speciality journals which provide the latest information in the field. The aim was to excite the curiosity of younger people and tempt them to enter the world of biological rhythm research and break new ground.