Chronobiology is a field of
biology that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to
solar- and
lunar-related rhythms. These cycles are known as
biological rhythms. Chronobiology comes from the ancient Greek (
chrónos, meaning "time"), and
biology, which pertains to the study, or science, of
life. The related terms
chronomics and
chronome have been used in some cases to describe either the
molecular mechanisms involved in chronobiological phenomena or the more quantitative aspects of chronobiology, particularly where comparison of cycles between organisms is required.