Dual biological clocks discovered in intertidal crustaceans

Collaborative study between Michael Hastings’s group in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division and David Wilcockson at Aberystwyth University reveals that crustaceans have two distinct cerebral clocks – one to track days and one for tides – which operate in parallel using overlapping genetic components.

Study of body clock proteins led by Nicola Smyllie in Michael Hastings’s group in the LMB’s Neurobiology Division, reveals that PER and CRY, key body clock proteins, act more independently than previously thought, challenging long-held understanding of our body’s circadian rhythms.

New specimen supports, designed by Chris Russo’s group in the LMB’s Structural Studies Division, solve decades-long question on how to use liquid helium in cryo-EM to reduce radiation damage and improve information capture.