Scientists believe they’ve found the reason why we suffer from jet lag: It’s because we have two timekeeping centers in our brains. One follows the clock, while the other one is influenced by natural events, such as sunrise and sunset. When we travel to another time zone, it takes a while for the two centers become coordinated again.
While scientists have discovered the existence of the two centers, they still don’t understand how they communicate with each other. If they did, they might be able to develop a drug that could “reset” our 24-hour inner clocks when we travel to a new time zone. Researcher Horacio de la Iglesia says, “If we can discover how the two parts of the brain are synchronized we might be able to find mechanisms to treat jet lag.”
Do airplane stowaways get jet lag? An airline passenger on Quantas recently found a whistling tree frog sitting on a piece of cucumber in her in-flight salad. Government official Fergus Small says, “Naturally there was a bit of consternation by the passenger who called back the attendant.”
Qantas says they’ve changed their lettuce supplier and have introduced “additional procedures into the salad supply process.”
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