33:
525:
371:, not published them for de Mairan. Alternatively, it may be that de Mairan simply was not available to present this work himself. It was quite common at the time, when travels were slow, for one scientist to present the work of another. Whatever the case, this rather obscure one-page contribution by a prolific and highly respected academician did stand the test of time. It is by far the most if not the only paper by de Mairan which is still quoted in the current scientific literature (bar purely historical reviews). When describing his work with
364:
have internal clocks driving leaf rhythms, but rather that they were able "to sense the Sun without ever seeing it". The concept of an internal clock was actually not formulated until much later, although de Mairan did suggest that "it would be curious to test whether, using kilns heated to higher or lower temperatures, one could artificially recreate a day & night perceptible to ; and whether in doing so one could reverse the order of the phenomena of true day & true night."
291:
through the atmosphere at two different known angular elevations being given, to find what part of the absolute light of the sun is intercepted by the atmosphere at any desired elevation." In this paper, de Mairan made a hypothesis based on mere observations, supposing that the ratio had been measured, even though it had not. The significance of de Mairan's work, although incorrect, led his protégé,
193:
on 26 November 1678. De Mairan lost his father, François d'Ortous, at age four and his mother twelve years later at age sixteen. Over the course of his life, de Mairan was elected into numerous scientific societies and made key discoveries in a variety of fields including ancient texts and astronomy.
572:
363:
plant and performed a simple experiment where he exposed the plants to constant darkness and recorded the behaviour. De Mairan's key conclusion was that the daily rhythmic opening and closing of the leaves persisted even in the absence of sunlight. However, de Mairan did not infer that heliotropes
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of its elevation. He neglected the effects of atmosphere, admitting that he did not know how much the sun's heat would be absorbed by it. Two and a half years later, he presented a paper to the
Academie Royale des Sciences in Paris: "Problem: the ratio of two degrees or quantities of sunlight seen
414:
Despite
Marchant's publication of de Mairan's work, which might have suggested the existence of endogenous biological clocks, rhythms in plant movements were for a long time thought to be extrinsically controlled, by light and dark cycles, or magnetic and temperature oscillations, or even a
460:
as "Secrétaire perpétuel" of the Académie in 1740, a position he accepted only for 3 years, and thus duly resigned in 1743. De Mairan also served as the Académie's assistant director and later director intermittently between 1721 and 1760. Eventually, de Mairan was appointed editor of the
1419:
230:. In 1702, he returned home to BĂ©ziers and began his lifelong study of several fields, most notably astronomy and plant rhythms. Furthermore, during his time in BĂ©ziers, he ate almost every day with the Bishop,
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But his botanist friend Jean
Marchant, to whom de Mairan had described his observations, decided that the finding was so important that he would tell the world about it at a scientific meeting in Paris in
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where he remained pensionnaire until 1743 and served as secretary from 1741 to 1743. In 1746, he was reinstated as pensionnaire géomètre, or full-time boarding
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Ellen McNiven Hine (1996): Jean-Jacques
Dortous de Mairan and the Geneva connection: Scientific networking in the eighteenth century (The Voltaire Foundation)
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852:
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leaf movements in constant conditions, finding them to be 22–23 hours long. This was probably the first hint of what is now called the circadian (from Latin
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1172:
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The following is an abbreviated list of publications (with their
English translations) organised by Dr. Robert A. Hatch at the University of Florida:
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241:. In 1723, de Mairan, who had become a member of the Académie Royale des Sciences, co-founded the Académie de Béziers under the protection of
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906:
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Beyond astronomical and circadian observations, de Mairan actively worked in several other fields of physics including "heat, light, sound,
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of light that causes cold in winter and heat in summer. He postulated that the sun's heating effect was related to the square of the
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In 1729, de Mairan performed an experiment that demonstrated the existence of circadian rhythms in plants, specifically the
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344:. At the time, the aurorae were thought to be 'flames' caused by sulfurous effluvia emanating from the Earth.
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His observations and experiments also inspired the beginning of what is now known as the study of biological
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In 1731, he published "Traite
Physique et Historique De l'Aurore Boreale" (a short summary appeared in the
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873:
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511:
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440:) nature of such endogenous rhythms, found in practically all living organisms, including some bacteria.
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851:, together with its analysis in the light of present views of circadian rhythms. That analysis is
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Zordan, Mauro; Costa, Rodolfo; MacIno, Giuseppe; Fukuhara, Chiaki; Tosini, Gianluca (2000).
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in a cucumber plant in constant conditions, similar to what de Mairan observed, can be seen
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481:(St. Petersburg) in 1718. De Mairan was also a member of the Royal Societies of London,
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and other great lords heaped extravagant gifts upon him. He was also secretary to the
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Dissertation on the cause of light phosphates and noctilucence or nightly light
505:, he founded his own scientific society in his hometown of BĂ©ziers, named the
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Middleton, WEK (May 1964). "The Early
History of the Visibility Problem".
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Dissertation sur la cause de la lumiere des phosphores et des noctiluques
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Dissertation sur l'estimation et la mesure des forces motrices des corps
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In 1729, de Mairan constructed an experiment showing the existence of a
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In 1823, almost a century after de Mairan's work, the Swiss botanist
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are caused by the Sun, as the interaction of the atmosphere with the
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Essay on the estimation of the measures of acting forces on the body
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models or the rhythmic running activity of mice, founder of modern
540:
523:
977:"The physiology and molecular bases of the plant circadian clock"
935:"Temporal Organization: Reflections of a Darwinian Clock-Watcher"
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Lettre de m. de Mairan a Madame. Sur la question des forces vives
16:
18th-century French geophysicist, astronomer, and chronobiologist
628:, (1733) (Physical and historical Traits of the aurora borealis)
314:
287:
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Honorary members of the Saint
Petersburg Academy of Sciences
359:. He was intrigued by the daily opening and closing of the
257:). Eventually, de Mairan received official lodging in the
389:, recognised the work of Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan.
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These results may have gone unnoticed had his colleague,
310:(See 'Experiment on circadian rhythms in plants' below).
898:
Making Waves: Irving Dardik and His
Superwave Principle
601:
Letter to Mme
Chatelet on the Question of Living Forces
1267:
François-Xavier-Marc-Antoine de Montesquiou-Fézensac
1074:"Mairan, Jean-Jacques Dortous De | Encyclopedia.com"
1121:. Paris: Nouvelle biographie generale. p. 335.
181:(26 November 1678 – 20 February 1771) was a French
160:
138:
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83:
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57:
42:
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557:(Bordeaux, 1715) (Essays on barometric variations)
625:Traité physique et historique de l'aurore boréale
336:) in which he put up a novel hypothesis that the
1405:Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
933:Pittendrigh, Colin S.; Harold A. Miller (1993).
870:"Clock Classics: It all started with the plants"
823:"Biological Clocks – Garden Variety Experiments"
313:In 1731, he also observed a nebulosity around a
1155:Clock Classics: It all started with the plants
746:Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
1150:Biological Clocks — Garden Variety Experiments
37:Engraving by Pierre-Charles Ingouf (1746–1800)
1227:François-Joseph de Beaupoil de Sainte-Aulaire
1180:
8:
555:Dissertation sur les variations du barometre
415:mysterious, yet-to-be identified X-factor.
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1119:Histoire de l'Académie Royale des Sciences
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31:
20:
1415:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
1400:Members of the French Academy of Sciences
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765:"Circadian Clocks: What Makes Them Tick?"
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469:. Also, in 1735, de Mairan was elected a
448:In 1718, de Mairan was inducted into the
349:Experiment on circadian rhythms in plants
282:In 1719, De Mairan discussed the varying
817:
815:
813:
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306:in plants, presumably originating from
742:"An account of a book by Mr de Mairan"
619:He also published mathematical works.
198:. At the age of 92, de Mairan died of
473:and in 1769, a Foreign Member of the
214:from 1694–1697 with a focus on
7:
444:Scientific societies and recognition
277:Observations and notable experiments
218:. In 1698 he went to Paris to study
954:10.1146/annurev.ph.55.030193.000313
409:
249:(and himself a protégé of a former
232:Louis-Charles des Alrics du Rousset
895:Lewin, Roger (29 September 2005).
847:de Mairan's paper can be accessed
678:"Mairan, Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de"
14:
1425:Members of the Académie Française
475:Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
452:. The Cardinal de Fleury and the
108:Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
529:Sur la question des forces vives
422:expanded on it by measuring the
1395:Deaths from pneumonia in France
1390:18th-century French astronomers
1235:Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan
458:Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle
410:De Mairan's experimental legacy
179:Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan
137:
25:Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan
1117:de Fouchy, Grandjean (1774) .
872:. ScienceBlogs. Archived from
210:De Mairan attended college in
202:in Paris on 20 February 1771.
1:
1385:University of Toulouse alumni
1024:McClung, Robertson C (2006).
975:Somers, DE (September 1999).
1410:Fellows of the Royal Society
1145:At the dawn of chronobiology
450:Académie Royale des Sciences
420:Augustin Pyramus de Candolle
321:. This was later designated
942:Annual Review of Physiology
769:Chronobiology International
471:Fellow of the Royal Society
465:, a science periodical, by
456:selected Mairan to replace
245:, acting prime minister of
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1283:Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy
334:Philosophical Transactions
265:. It is reported that the
100:French Academy of Sciences
1205:
1026:"Plant Circadian Rhythms"
562:Dissertation sur la glace
172:
113:
30:
1251:Gui-Jean-Baptiste Target
106:, Foreign Member of the
1219:Jacques Testu de Belval
226:under the teachings of
189:), born in the town of
1042:10.1105/tpc.106.040980
825:. HHMI. Archived from
532:
467:Chancellor d'Aguesseau
78:University of Toulouse
1135:Galileo project entry
781:10.1081/CBI-100101056
676:Westfall, Richard S.
527:
520:Selected publications
1291:Eugène Marin Labiche
1078:www.encyclopedia.com
853:available in English
491:Institute of Bologna
1380:People from BĂ©ziers
728:10.1364/AO.3.000599
720:1964ApOpt...3..599K
682:The Galileo Project
539:, the shape of the
507:Académie de Béziers
463:Journal des sçavans
424:free running period
308:an endogenous clock
228:Nicolas Malebranche
183:natural philosopher
167:Nicolas Malebranche
1259:Jean-Sifrein Maury
1196:Académie française
1104:Westfall Catalogue
993:10.1104/pp.121.1.9
901:. Harmony/Rodale.
876:on 18 October 2011
609:Émilie du Châtelet
577:(Bordeaux, 1717) (
565:(Bordeaux, 1716) (
533:
477:as well as to the
243:Cardinal de Fleury
143:Cardinal de Fleury
1357:
1356:
908:978-1-62336-240-9
603:), one side of a
454:Count of Maurepas
394:circadian rhythms
387:Colin Pittendrigh
251:Bishop of BĂ©ziers
196:circadian rhythms
176:
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115:Scientific career
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567:Essay on the ice
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503:Antoine Portalon
495:Academy of Rouen
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392:A video showing
304:circadian rhythm
295:, to invent the
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162:Doctoral advisor
102:, Fellow of the
89:circadian rhythm
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61:20 February 1771
46:26 November 1678
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868:(29 May 2008).
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829:on 10 June 2013
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686:Rice University
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479:Russian Academy
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375:rhythms in his
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338:Northern Lights
327:Charles Messier
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271:Duke of Orléans
267:Prince of Conti
255:Pierre de Bonsi
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155:Duke of Orléans
151:Prince of Conti
98:Elected to the
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1036:(4): 792–803.
1030:The Plant Cell
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866:Zivkovic, Bora
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429:Mimosa pudica
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383:chronobiology
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