Farewell to the internal clock : a contribution in the field of chronobiology

'For many people, the moon is a familiar acquaintance with mysterious qualities. Depending on how it is illuminated by the sun, it shines sometimes as a complete disc and sometimes only as a sickle, sometimes it even makes itself invisible. The forces emanating from the moon give rise to high and low tides on the seacoasts. It's course and orbital velocity can be calculated exactly by means of complex mathematical formulae. Today, only the origin of the moon remains a mystery. Was it catapulted form the earth by a cosmic super-collision, or was it a wandering stray, captured by our planet from the cosmos? Apart from this, the relationship between the moon and the earth is considered to be all but completely understood by science. This book is not a contribution to the numerous superstitious beliefs relating to the moon, Rather, the following will demonstrate and above all prove by means of experiments which can be reproduced at any time that the moon does in fact influence certain biological rhythms, evoking them and determining their timing. Scientists have hitherto attributed this phenomenon to an 'internal clock.' According to this hypothesis, the living organism itself has the ability to measure time and to determine how much time has elapsed.' So begins Gunter Klein's exploration of the notion of internal clocks. With the fresh perspective of a curious and insightful non-scientist, Mr. Klein examines the question of what force, time or tide, actually provides more influence over cellular biomechanics. Readers may agree or disagree with his hypothesis, but Mr. Klein's provocative outlook is sure to engage the mind and encourage discussion. Nearly everything making up what we call the “environment” of a plant has an infuence on the way it grows. Sunlight, te- perature, moisture contents of soil and atmosphere and vib- tions are all obvious examples of environmental components, and transient variations in their amount or intensity lead the plant to manifest more or less immediate responses. Small changes in carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere can even have effects, but these take a longer time to be registered – at least those that are visible, albeit at the microscopic level. Plants meet the challenges of the environment by means of acclimation. In this respect, plants are notable for the pl- ticity of their development. However, where morphological or physiological plasticity is no longer an option, the responses would be by means of adaptations as a result of genetic - lection or genetic “assimilation” (Waddington 1957). Thus, a feature that was once a facultative transient response to an environmental perturbation becomes a constitutive charac- ristic of plant structure or function. It is in this way that the environment continually molds the way in which plants de- lop, and also defnes the areas upon planet Earth where they will thrive. Frontmatter......Page 2 Foreword......Page 6 Contents......Page 20 Preface......Page 23 In the beginning was the leaf......Page 26 Chronobiology today......Page 33 The Moon and chronobiology......Page 43 Location and mode of operation of the “internal clock”......Page 51 The mistake concerning the “internal clock” of the bean......Page 56 Does the “lunar clock” also tick for animals and human beings?......Page 78 Appendix I: Experimental procedure......Page 116 Appendix II: Supporting data......Page 125 References......Page 127 Index......Page 131 So begins Gunter Klein's exploration of the notion of internal clocks. Writing from the fresh perspective of a curious and insightful non-scientist, Mr. Klein examines the question of what force, time or tide, actually provides more influence over cellular biomechanics. Readers may or may not agree with his hypothesis, but Mr. Klein's provocative outlook is sure to encourage discussion "With the fresh perspective of a curious and insightful non-scientist, Mr. Klein examines the question of what force, time or tide, actually provides more influence over cellular biomechanics."--Global Books in Print