Diurnal rhythms in plants and animals have been observed for centuries, but their endogenous and circadian nature were not acknowledged until the 1960s (Menaker, 1969). Research during that decade provided ample evidence for an internal `clock' generating daily rhythms in behavior through biochemistry; however, the nature and anatomical location of this clock were a mystery. Insects helped to unveil this paradox, providing critical early insights into both the genetic and the physiological bases of the clock. The discovery of the first circadian clock gene period in Drosophila melanogaster was a milestone for chronogenetics (Konopka and Benzer, 1971). The overt behavior used to identify arrhythmic period mutants in flies was the rhythm of emergence of the adult from its pupal cuticle. This event, termed eclosion, is `gated' by the circadian clock, which means that it can only occur in a restricted portion of a day/night cycle. This...
Using the reactive scope model to redefine social stress in fishes
In their Review, Katie Gilmour and colleagues redefine the ambiguous concept of social stress by using the reactive scope model as a framework to explain the divergent physiological phenotypes of dominant and subordinate fishes.
JEB grants to support junior faculty
Learn about the grants that we launched in 2023 to support junior faculty from two of our awardees: Erin Leonard, Early-Career Researcher (ECR) Visiting Fellowship recipient, and Pauline Fleischmann, Research Partnership Kickstart Travel Grant recipient. The next deadline to apply is 6 June 2025.
Thirteen-lined ground squirrels survive extraordinarily low blood oxygen
Brynne Duffy and colleagues reveal that thirteen-lined ground squirrels are true hypoxia champions surviving extreme low blood oxygen, down to just 34% oxygen, when they emerge briefly from hibernation.
The Company of Biologists Workshops
For the last 15 years, our publisher, The Company of Biologists, has provided an apt environment to inspire biology and support biologists through our Workshops series. Read about the evolution of the Workshop series and revisit JEB's experience with hosting the first Global South Workshop.
Fast & Fair peer review
Our sister journal Biology Open has recently launched the next phase of their Fast & Fair peer review initiative: offering high-quality peer review within 7 working days. To learn more about BiO’s progress and future plans, read the Editorial by Daniel Gorelick, or visit the Fast & Fair peer review page.
Social media
