WHETHER you’re an early bird or a night owl may depend on a slight variation
in one gene.
Emmanuel Mignot of Stanford University in California gave questionnaires to
410 people and also analysed their CLOCK gene, which helps control
circadian rhythms (Journal of Sleep and Sleep Disorders Research, vol
21, p 569). The genetic tests showed that 191 people sported the base cytosine,
rather than thymine, in part of the CLOCK gene. On average, these
people reported that the worked or exercised better at night than the 219
participants with thymine, who performed better in the morning.
