The circadian clock is a biological timepiece that ensures that our body is optimally tuned to the time of day. This body clock has a duration of approximately 24 hours and is reset every day to the day-night cycle by sunlight. People sometimes experience shifting the calendar clock as a mini jet lag, but what are the long-term health effects of permanent summer time?
About the speaker:
Bert van der Horst studied biology at the University of Amsterdam and obtained his PhD in 1993 at the Erasmus University on lysosomal storage diseases. As a postdoc at the Molecular Genetics department at Erasmus MC, he unexpectedly discovered two essential circadian clock genes. He is currently focusing on the question of how our 24/7 society disruption of the circadian clock negatively influences our health and what we can do to limit this health risk.