Scientist long believed that two nerve cluster in the human hypothalamus, called suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCNs), were what controlled our circadian rhythms. Those rhythms are the biological cycles that recur approximately every 24 hours in synchronization with the cycle of sunlight and darkness caused by Earth’s rotation. Studies have demonstrated that in some animals, the SCNs control daily fluctuations in blood pressure, body temperature, activity level, and alertness, as well as the nighttime release of the sleep-promoting agent melatonin. Furthermore, cells in the human retina dedicated to transmitting information about light level to the SCNs have recently been discovered.

Four critical genes governing circadian cycles have been found to be active in every tissue, however, not just the SCNs, of flies, mice, and humans. In addition, when laboratory rats that usually ate at will were fed only once a day, peak activity of a clock gene in their livers shifted by 12 hours, whereas the same clock gene in the SCNs remained synchronized with light cycles. While scientists do not dispute the role of the SCNs in controlling core functions such as the regulation of body temperature and blood pressure, scientists now believe that circadian clocks in other organs and tissues may respond to external cues other than light—including temperature changes—that recur regularly 24 hours.

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) challenge recent findings that appear to contradict earlier findings
(B) present two sides of an ongoing scientific debate
(C) report answers to several questions that have long puzzled researchers
(D) discuss evidence that has caused a longstanding belief to be revised
(E) attempt to explain a commonly misunderstood biological phenomenon



2. The passage mentions each of the following as a function regulated by SCNs in same animals EXCEPT

(A) activity level
(B) blood pressure
(C) alertness
(D) vision
(E) temperature



3. The author of the passage would probably agree with which of the following statement about the SCNs?

(A) The SCNs are found in other organs and tissues of the body besides the hypothalamus.
(B) The SCNs play a critical but not exclusive role in regulating circadian rhythms.
(C) The SCNs control clock genes in a number of tissues and organs throughout the body.
(D) The SCNs are a less significant factor in regulating blood pressure than scientists once believed.
(E) The SCNs are less strongly affected by changes in light levels than are by other external cues.