Timing Life Processes
1st International Conference on Advancements of Medicine and Health Care through Technology, MediTech2007, 27-29th September, 2007, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA Timing Life Processes Dana Baran Abstract — Natural clocks such as planet movements and biological timekeeping gears inspired artificial timers including water clocks, sandglasses, mechanical, electric and finally electronic systems. Contemporary medicine and biology reconsiders temporal morphogenetic and functional patterns interpreting life processes as highly sophisticated clockworks, liable to mathematical modelling and quantification. Chronobiology and chronomedicine opened a vast theoretical and applicative field of interest. Keywords: chronobiology, temporal monitoring devices, biological clock, mathematical modelling. 1. INTRODUCTION exogenous synchronizers periodically adjust to the cosmic time. [2] At the very beginning, breathing and heart rate, Throughout the centuries the perspective on biological pulse frequency, menstrual cycles and vital forces were phenomena temporal dimension, i.e. on their dynamic perceived as led by rhythmic vibrations of the stars, the sun structure and function, followed several synchronic and and the moon. Nature exhibited both clocks and calendars! diachronic patterns, possibly defined as astromy Now living beings are usually forced to disrupt their innate thological, cosmobiological, mechanistic, physico- biorhythms and adapt to man-made temporal cues imposed chemical, statistico-mathematical, physiological, psy by shift work, jet travel, abundance of vegetables and chological or philosophical insights. [1] After 1950, animal products, irrespective of time of day or season, in scientists started to elaborate a coherently integrated vitro fertilization, cloning and genetic manipulation which multidisciplinary and even transdisciplinary approach to equally play with biological time and social destinies. biological rhythms. Largely known as chronobiology, it lately generated a medical subdivision: chronomedicine.
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