The night owl gene

Anyone who knows me knows I am a night owl. The thought of trying to sleep before midnight leaves me with images of staring at the ceiling.

What's fascinating about this article is how closely it describes how I feel about the 24 hour clock. I've often said that if it were possible I wish I could get an extra 3 to 4 hours a day.

It does feel gratifying knowing there may be a scientific explanation for why I've felt that most of my life, but unfortunately for me I'm still not going to get that extra time I want.

clipped from www.telegraph.co.uk A genetic mutation called the "after-hours gene" may explain why some people are night owls, it is revealed in Science journal today. The altered gene, named "after hours" or Afh, is a variant of a gene called Fbxl3, which had not been linked to the body clock that keeps our metabolism, digestion and sleep patterns in tune with the rising and setting of the sun. By monitoring when and how often the mice chose to run on an exercise wheel the team spotted a change in some of the animals’ normal rhythms. Instead of following the typical 24 hour pattern, some of the mice had body clocks that stretched to up to a 27 hour day. Dr Patrick Nolan, of the MRC Mammalian Genetics Unit, who led the study said: ‘‘The internal body clocks of mice with the after hours gene run on a longer cycle than mice that have a normal copy of the gene, who like most of us live on a 24 hour schedule.’’

Abstinence education aka Might as well have no education

Far be it from George W. to base his policy decisions on facts so his policy on abstinence education is par for the course. Note to policymakers: this isn't the Beaver Cleaver United States anymore, if it ever was in the first place.

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk A survey of more than 2,000 teenagers carried out by a research company on behalf of Congress found that the half of the sample given abstinence-only education displayed exactly the same predilection for sex as those who had received conventional sex education in which contraception was discussed. But even in 1990s Texas, where Mr Bush spent $10m a year on abstinence education, the state had the fifth highest teen pregnancy rate in the US. Over the past six years he has stepped up the programme to more than $100m a year. He recently braved ridicule by extending it to adults aged 20-29, an age range in which 90% of people are sexually active.