Three Americans just won the Nobel Prize while you were having breakfast

The Nobel committee just awarded three Americans the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work on molecular mechanisms that control circadian systems,

Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young used fruit flies to explain how an inner clock works in their studies of “chronobiology.” They were able to isolate a gene that creates a protein that builds up at night and erodes during the day, according to the press release. This gene could lead to breakthroughs in medical conditions like Alzheimer’s, depression, ADHD, and metabolic issues that researchers believe are linked to circadian rhythms being out of whack. Their research could also help lead to a potential cure for jet lag.