In recent months, scientists have made major advances in understanding the structure and nature of the biological clocks that regulate a wide variety of different biochemical processes in plants and animals. Working with blue-green algae, the simplest organism known to possess a biological clock, Vanderbilt researchers have proven that the benefit these natural pacemakers provide is directly related to the day/night cycle and they have determined the structure of the third and most important of the algae's bioclock proteins. They have also embarked on one of the first studies in humans to see if differences in the rate that an individual's biological clock functions can help determine his or her ability to adapt to night shift work. By David F. Salisbury Published: October 12, 2004