The Observable Unknown

Episode: Interlude XVIII – Circadian Consciousness: How the Body Tells Time

Host: Dr. Juan Carlos Rey
Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this interlude, Dr. Juan Carlos Rey invites listeners to explore the profound connection between our biology and the passage of time—from molecular rhythms to the spiritual practices that align us with the sun’s arc. Blending scientific discovery with poetic insight, the episode unravels how our bodies are not passive keepers of time, but active instruments measuring the cosmos from within. Dr. Rey explains the science of circadian rhythms, connects them to well-being and mental health, and reflects on the ancient wisdom encoded in rituals of light.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Invisible Architecture of Time

• Time as Internal: Dr. Rey introduces the concept that time is not merely something external, “not the clocks we read, but the clocks we are” ([00:02]).
• Circadian Rhythms: Every living organism keeps time at a molecular level—the "ancient rhythm" found in breath, heartbeat, and awareness.

2. Genetic Foundations of the Biological Clock

• Discovery in Fruit Flies:
  • Hall, Rosbash, and Young’s 1970s research revealed that fruit flies maintained sleep-wake cycles even in total darkness, leading to the discovery of the PER gene ([01:18]).
  • Notable Quote:
    “When the loop was interrupted, the rhythm dissolved. The cell forgot the day.” — Dr. Rey ([01:30])
• Nobel Prize Achievement:
  • The finding that every organism contains an internal clock earned a Nobel Prize in 2017 ([01:38]).

3. The Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: The Body’s Master Clock

• Neural Epicenter:
  • The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), two clusters of neurons in the hypothalamus, receive signals from the retina to modulate body rhythms ([02:01]).
  • Cascade Effect:
    • The SCN synchronizes thousands of peripheral clocks in organs including the liver, gut, and immune cells.

4. Genetic Disruption and Biological Chaos

• The CLOCK Gene in Mice:
  • Joseph Takahashi’s 1997 research identified the clock gene, essential for circadian transcription. Deleting it led to a collapse of all rhythmic behaviors ([03:00]).
  • Notable Quote:
    “Everything collapsed into biological noise. Our sense of continuity, of dawn following dusk, is a molecular dialogue between sun and cell.” — Dr. Rey ([03:14])

5. Circadian Rhythms and Emotion

• Mood Disorders & Light:
  • Studies by Russell Foster (early 2000s) linked circadian disruption with mood disorders like depression and bipolar disorder ([03:37]).
  • Serotonin and Cortisol Impacts:
    • Mismatched light exposure can dysregulate serotonin and cortisol, leading to anxiety and altered emotional states.
  • Real-world Consequences:
    • Shift workers and teenagers forced into early wake times exemplify “physiological jet lag.”

6. Modern Society’s ‘Chronotoxic’ Experiment

• Artificial Time:
  • Our “electrified world” misaligns internal and external clocks—eating late, blue light exposure, and ignoring natural rhythms ([04:22]).
  • Social Jet Lag:
    • Coined by chronobiologist Till Ronenberg, “social jet lag” describes the conflict between biological time and societal schedules.
  • Health Outcome Evidence:
    • A 2012 study of over 60,000 people showed circadian mismatch shortens lifespan as reliably as smoking does ([04:44]).
  • Notable Quote:
    “The observable unknown is that modern civilization itself is a chronotoxic experiment.” — Dr. Rey ([05:04])

7. Light as Ancient Medicine

• Morning Sun’s Benefits:
  • Exposure to natural sunlight in the morning resets hormonal cycles, reduces inflammation, improves attention ([05:16]).
  • Harmonizing with Dawn:
    • “To heal, sometimes we must simply re-enter dawn.” ([05:40])

8. Rhythms Rooted in Spiritual Traditions

• Echoes in Ritual:
  • Practices like prayer at sunrise, fasting during daylight, and evening silence mirror biological wisdom ([05:54]).
  • Purposeful Timing:
    • “If consciousness is a rhythm, ethics is timing…” ([06:00])
  • The suggestion that science’s modern mission may be to “re-sanctify time.”

9. Closing Reflection: We Are Clocks Made of Starlight

• Final Thought:
  • “You are a clock made of starlight, measuring eternity by the beat of a cell.” ([06:28])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Opening (00:02):
  “Each breath, each heartbeat, each flicker of awareness follows an ancient rhythm woven into light, temperature and gene expression.”
• On the PER Gene (01:30):
  “When the loop was interrupted, the rhythm dissolved. The cell forgot the day.”
• On Biological Noise (03:14):
  “Everything collapsed into biological noise. Our sense of continuity, of dawn following dusk, is a molecular dialogue between sun and cell.”
• On Modern Living (05:04):
  “The observable unknown is that modern civilization itself is a chronotoxic experiment.”
• On Light as Healing (05:40):
  “To heal, sometimes we must simply re-enter dawn.”
• On Human Nature (06:28):
  “You are a clock made of starlight, measuring eternity by the beat of a cell.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:02–01:38 — Introduction and discovery of cellular clocks (PER gene, Nobel Prize)
• 01:39–03:14 — The SCN as master clock; genetic basis of circadian rhythms (clock gene)
• 03:15–04:22 — Disruption’s effects: mood, health, modern life’s challenges
• 04:23–05:16 — ‘Chronotoxic’ civilization and health consequences (social jet lag, lifespan)
• 05:17–06:00 — Light as medicine; biological wisdom in rituals
• 06:01–06:40 — Closing reflections: spiritual, scientific, and poetic synthesis

Conclusion

This episode of The Observable Unknown masterfully fuses scientific research and philosophical reflection, offering listeners a rich understanding of circadian consciousness and the urgent relevance of aligning our modern lives with ancient biological rhythms. Dr. Rey’s evocative storytelling and insight remind us that to live meaningfully, “one must live rhythmically”—and that in the smallest cell, we are cosmically connected clocks, “made of starlight.”