Abstract: In this paper I will attempt to explain the nature of biological rhythms, their history, and their affect on the everyday workings of the human body and mind.
Biological rhythms, known also as circadian rhythms or the inner clock, pervade every aspect of human and animal life. Defined as "the biological clocks that regulate all animals, plants, and people, and that don't follow the artificial timing of the strict 24-hour solar/lunar day" ("Circadian Links", WWW 1996), biorhythms affect ordinary everyday activities in extraordinary ways. Even in the absence of light cues, human rhythms continue in remarkably stable patterns, and studies show that these patterns consistently fit to an average of a 25-hour day. Biorhythms affect an immense amount of bodily workings, including the heart rate, body temperature, moods, alertness, efficiency, sensitivity to pain, and the effects of alcohol. They have also been thought to influence patterns of birth and death and even behaviors throughout the woman's menstrual cycle. In essence, biorhythms influence almost every human action or reaction anyone could imagine.
Most early observations of the workings of circadian rhythms revolved around plants and small lab animals, namely bees, rats, and birds. Biorhythms were noticed as early as the fourth century BC, when a scribe of Alexander the Great noticed that there were rhythms surrounding the opening and closing of certain types of tree leaves. In 1729 the first biorhythms experiment was conducted by Jean Jacques d'Ortous deMairan on the heliotrope plant. The plant's leaves, even in complete blackness, opened and closed to a stable day-night pattern. One taxonomist, Carolus Linnaeus, took advantage of flowers'...
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...nd even life and death. They are the root of sleep disorders and sleep disturbances and also explain such phenomena as jet lag and insomnia. Even in isolation the human clock operates on a schedule close to that of a normal day. Studies and research continue in order to realize the full potential of biological daily planning and its effects upon efficiency of the mind and body.
Works Cited
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Palmer, John D. An Introduction to Biological Rhythms. New York: Academic Press, 2006.
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From the start, the dagger scene foreshadows the great internal struggles that both Macbeth and his wife will have to wrestle with. It is never clear whether Macbeth is causing his own hallucinations or whether the witches chose to create the apparition of a dagger to taunt him. Macbeth sees a floating dagger before him that is leading him towards Duncan, and he doesn’t know what to make of it (Shakespeare 266). It is obvious that it isn’t physically there, but his musings about it show that he is already having doubts. Part of Macbeth’s conscience knows that once he kills Duncan he will never be able to change his path or take back his actions. He restrains himself from touching the dagger even though he would like to try and grasp it (Shakespeare 266). It seems already that he is not in his right mind. At this point, Macbeth still has our sympathy and the choice to turn back. Be it witchcraft or his own decision, he took the self-indulgent path. Soon enough, there is a valuable symbol of the bloody crimes to follow. While he’s soliloquizing, drops of blood appear on the dagger apparit...
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Sargent Murray. Ed. Sharon M Harris. New York: New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. 15-43
Murder, ghosts, and floating daggers are the usual attractions for most that read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and yet there is an important theme that some might overlook. Written in the early 17th century, Macbeth is believed to be based upon historical events listed in Raphael Holinshed’s Chronicles of Scotland and other current events of the time. Shakespeare constructs the memorable world of Macbeth with a mysterious and sinister atmosphere, incorporating diabolical elements into this world with the appearance of Hecate, witches, prophecies and ghostly apparitions. Throughout his story, Macbeth becomes controlled by desire for power, by allowing himself to be influenced, using evil means to gain and maintain power to the point that Macbeth is blinded to all else. In Macbeth, Shakespeare vividly demonstrates a recognizable theme of the weighty pull that power holds over those with authority.
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Farber, Jerry “ A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System” Dissent Fall 1997: 102-04 in Mary Lynch Kennedy and Haley M. Smith. Reading and writing in the Academic Community. 2nd ed, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall 2001. 333-336.
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Medeiros, Ana Ligia D., et al. “Relationships Between Sleep-Wake Cycles and Academic Performance in Medical Students.” Biological Rhythm Research. 32.2 (2001): 263-270. 2 Feb. 2004. <http://www.szp.swets.nl/szp/journals/br322263.htm>.
Smolensky, M., & Lamberg L. (2000) The Body Clock Guide to Better Health. Retrieved March 19, 2005 from http://www.aamcc.org/body_clock.htm
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