About Clockwork Cell

Translate clock proteins and flip transcription on schedule in this free online circadian rhythm game about the molecular body clock.

Clockwork Cell is a free online circadian rhythm game where you operate the molecular machinery that keeps a cell on a 24-hour cycle. This biology game recreates the actual feedback loop that won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The core mechanism is a transcription-translation feedback loop. Cells translate PER and TIM proteins during the day, those proteins shuttle into the nucleus and repress their own genes at night, then degradation resets the cycle by dawn. Cryptochrome proteins sense morning light and flush the system, synchronizing the cellular clock to the sun.

Your whole body runs this loop. The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain acts as the master pacemaker, but nearly every cell keeps its own clock for metabolism, repair and hormone release. Jet lag, shift work damage and even optimal medication timing all trace back to this machinery you operate in the game.

Key Science Concepts

• Transcription-translation feedback loops
• PER and TIM protein oscillation
• Cryptochrome light entrainment
• Suprachiasmatic nucleus master clock
• Gene repression and protein degradation cycles
• Circadian misalignment effects

What You'll Learn

• Describe the molecular loop driving circadian rhythms
• Explain how light resets the biological clock
• Connect cellular clocks to sleep and metabolism
• Recognize why this mechanism earned a Nobel Prize

Grade Level: High School, College

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How to play

1. Translate by Day Guide Chrono-Shuttle to ribosomes and mRNA in cytoplasm to translate PER and TIM clock proteins.
2. Dimerize & Shuttle Bring PER and TIM together at dusk. Shuttle the dimer through nuclear pores to repress CLOCK:BMAL1.
3. Dawn Flush When morning light arrives, trigger Cryptochrome to ubiquitinate and flush PER proteins for sunrise!

Frequently asked questions

Is Clockwork Cell free to play?

Yes. Clockwork Cell is completely free to play in your browser. There is no download, install or account needed.

What grade level is Clockwork Cell for?

Clockwork Cell is designed for High School, College students and works well as a classroom activity or homework.

Does Clockwork Cell work on phones and tablets?

Yes. Clockwork Cell runs in any modern browser on desktop computers, Chromebooks, tablets and phones in landscape mode.

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