How our biological clocks are locked in sync

Scientists from EPFL's Institute of Bioengineering have discovered that our circadian clock and our cell-cycle are in fact, synchronized. Nothing in biology is static; everything is fluid, dynamic and ever-moving. Often, this movement occurs in repeating patterns - regular, measurable cycles that tick just like "clocks". Two of the most important such cycles are the circadian clock, which regulates our sleep/awake rhythm, and the cell cycle, which regulates the growth, life and death of virtually every cell in our body. Considering things like sleep abnormalities, cancer, ageing and other related problems, it's not hard to see why both of these cycles have gained enormous interest from researchers. One of the big questions in the field has been that of synchronization, a phenomenon first observed by Dutch physicist - and clock-maker - Christian Huygens. In synchronization, the rhythms (phases) of two oscillators match up in lockstep.