Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41747039›Full record

ArticleScience (New York, N.Y.)2026

A cellular basis for the mammalian nocturnal-diurnal switch.

Andrew D Beale, Matthew J Christmas, Nina M Rzechorzek, Andrei Mihut, Aiwei Zeng, Christopher Ellis, Nathan R James, Nicola J Smyllie, Violetta Pilorz, Rose Richardson and 11 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science (New York, N.Y.), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Andrew D BealeMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2051-0919
Matthew J Christmas *Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-6355-7581
Nina M Rzechorzek *MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3209-5019
Andrei Mihut *MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4241-2567
Aiwei ZengMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0354-2529
Christopher EllisMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.
Nathan R JamesMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-1147-6285
Nicola J SmyllieMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6324-1421
Violetta PilorzInstitute of Neurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-8478-1734
Rose RichardsonCentre for Biological Timing, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7164-0337
Mads F BertelsenCopenhagen Zoo, Frederiksberg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-9201-7499
Shaline V FazalDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2813-4022
Zanna VoyseyDepartment of Clinical Neurosciences, John Van Geest Centre for Brain Repair, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4916-6047
Kevin MoreauSafety Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3688-3998
Jerry PelletierDepartment of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Priya CrosbyDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7532-7708
Sew Y Peak-ChewMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7602-6384
Rachel S EdgarDepartment of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3348-0851
Madeline A LancasterMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2324-8853
Roelof A HutGroningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4552-0985
John S O'NeillMRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2204-6096

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_EX_MR/Y013018/1Medical Research Council MC_UP_1201/9Wellcome Trust 208790Wellcome Trust 210684
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early mammals were nocturnal while dinosaurs dominated the daytime. Mammalian transition to daytime activity accelerated after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We identified a conserved cell-intrinsic, thermodynamic mechanism that likely facilitated this shift. In cells from diurnal mammals, protein synthesis, phosphorylation, and circadian timing were less sensitive to temperature changes than were cells from nocturnal mammals. Comparative genomics revealed accelerated evolution within essential signaling pathways, including mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), that increase the robustness of diurnal cellular clocks to thermal and osmotic perturbation. In nocturnal mice, mTOR inhibition shifted cells, tissues, and behavior toward diurnal activity. These findings uncover a genetic and biochemical basis for nocturnal-diurnal switching, emphasizing how cellular signaling networks can encode complex phenotypes such as temporal niche selection.

Indexed as

Circadian ClocksCircadian RhythmSuprachiasmatic Nucleus NeuronsAnimalsBiological EvolutionFemaleFibroblastsHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLPhosphorylationProtein BiosynthesisProteomicsSignal TransductionTemperaturemTOR protein, mouseTOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

Identifiers

PMID41747039
PMCPMC7618833

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.