Serge Daan (11 June 1940 – 9 February 2018) was a Dutch scientist, known for his significant contributions to the field of
Chronobiology
Chronobiology is a field of biology that examines timing processes, including periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms, such as their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. Chronobi ...
.
Early life and education
Serge Daan (
Mook
Mook or Mooks may refer to:
Places
* Mook, Iran (disambiguation)
* Mook, Kentucky, an unincorporated community, United States
* Mook en Middelaar, a municipality in the Netherlands
Entertainment
* Mook (publishing), a portmanteau of magazine a ...
, 1940) was born in a wind mill, grew up in the Dutch countryside, and went to high school (Gymnasium β) in Deventer. The Daan family was highly interested in biology and undertook enterprises in this field, such as investigating the ecology of reptiles in the Mediterranean area. As a consequence of this interest, Serge studied biology at the University of Amsterdam.
Academic career
In September 1973, Serge received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in Amsterdam (cum laude) with a thesis on
hibernation
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...
. He was subsequently trained as a
postdoc
A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...
by the two founders of modern
chronobiology
Chronobiology is a field of biology that examines timing processes, including periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms, such as their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. Chronobi ...
,
Jürgen Aschoff
Jürgen Walther Ludwig Aschoff (January 25, 1913 – October 12, 1998) was a German physician, biologist and behavioral physiologist. Together with Erwin Bünning and Colin Pittendrigh, he is considered to be a co-founder of the field of chrono ...
and
Colin Pittendrigh
Colin Stephenson Pittendrigh (October 13, 1918 – March 19, 1996)
"Colin Pittendrigh, 'Father of biological clock,' ...
. This 4-year episode, at the
Max Planck Institute
Max or MAX may refer to:
Animals
* Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog
* Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE)
* Max (gorilla) (1 ...
for Behavioral Physiology in Andechs, Bavaria and Stanford University in California, and the lifelong collaboration and friendship with both were crucial for his professional career. In 1975, Daan was appointed associate professor at the
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen (abbreviated as UG; nl, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, abbreviated as RUG) is a Public university#Continental Europe, public research university of more than 30,000 students in the city of Groningen (city), Groningen in ...
in the Animal Ecology group of R.H. Drent. In 1994 he became Extra-ordinarius in Chronobiology, and in 1996 Professor of Ethology. Since 2003 he has occupied the prestigious
Niko Tinbergen
Nikolaas "Niko" Tinbergen (; ; 15 April 1907 – 21 December 1988) was a Dutch biologist and ornithologist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Karl von Frisch and Konrad Lorenz for their discoveries concerning the or ...
chair in Behavioral Biology.
Research
Serge Daan’s research focuses on the temporal organisation of behaviour in animals and humans. In about 250 publications he contributed a number of key concepts and models that have improved understanding of the ‘
circadian
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...
’ (circa 24-h) rhythms of rest and activity, the regulation of human sleep, and the annual timing of reproduction.
Circadian rhythms
Working with Pittendrigh, Daan developed many of the theoretical foundations for understanding the dynamics of circadian oscillators. Many other studies have followed, shifting the focus from behavioural black box models to testable hypotheses about underlying molecular mechanisms.
Regulation of human sleep
Work on
circadian rhythms
A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., endogenous) and responds to ...
by others in the field culminated in the notion that a single circadian pacemaker exists to keep track of environmental time, while at the same time controlling downstream oscillations in physiology and behaviour. However, this notion was inconsistent with observations of the timing of sleep in human subjects living in isolation from time cues. Serge Daan, together with
Borbély and Beersma, developed a model which convincingly explained the observations. It was called the two-process model of sleep regulation and explained human sleep regulation in terms of two key processes: a circadian pacemaker, and a homeostatic drive to sleep that increases during wake and decreases during sleep. Today, the two process model is used as the basis for most predictive models of sleep and performance.
Annual timing of reproduction
Apart from daily alternations in the environment, there are substantial seasonal variations that animals must adapt to across the year. Working with Drent, Daan showed that one strategy used to deal with seasonal changes is to adjust the number and even sex of offspring.
Organisation
Serge Daan held many offices in academia. He was member of the board of Earth and Life Sciences of NWO – the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (1997–2002), and chairman of the NWO program Evolution and Behaviour (2002–2009). He was president of the Dutch Society for Behavioural Biology (1996–2001). From 2001 to 2004 he was vice-dean for research at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the University of Groningen, and together with dean D.A. Wiersma was responsible for incisive changes such as the tenure track system and the
Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 192016 April 1958) was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), RNA (ribonucleic acid), viruses, co ...
fellowships for women. From 2007 till 2009 he was dean of this Faculty.
Teaching
Serge Daan taught a wide array of courses on all levels of the curriculum of Biology (
animal ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their biophysical environment, physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosy ...
,
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
,
human ethology
Human ethology is the study of human behavior.
Ethology as a discipline is generally thought of as a sub-category of biology, though psychological theories have been developed based on ethological ideas (e.g. sociobiology, evolutionary psychology, ...
,
chronobiology
Chronobiology is a field of biology that examines timing processes, including periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms, such as their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. Chronobi ...
,
animal behaviour
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...
, evolution), including the recent tutorial Honours College for highly talented students. He supervised more than 200 master students during their research projects. Serge Daan took the initiative to set up and coordinate the top-master program in Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
Ph.D.s supervised
To date, Daan has supervised 43 Ph.D. students.
1986 D. Masman: The annual cycle of the kestrel, ''Falco tinnunculus''. A study in behavioural energetics.
1988 C. Dijkstra: Reproductive tactics in the Kestrel, ''Falco tinnunculus''. A study in evolutionary biology.
1988 T. Meijer: Reproductive decisions in the Kestrel, ''Falco tinnunculus''. A study in physiological ecology.
1988
D.J. Dijk: Spectral analysis of the sleep EEG. Experiments inspired by the two-process model of sleep regulation. (cum laude)
1989
J.H. Meijer: Neuropharmacological and photic manipulation of the circadian pacemaker.
1991 M.P. Gerkema: Ultradian and circadian oscillators in the temporal organization of behaviour in voles.
1993 P.C.J. Franken: Sleep homeostasis and brain temperature. Experimental and simulation studies in the rat.
1995 S. Verhulst: Reproductive decisions in the Great Tit: An optimality approach. (cum laude)
1995 M.W.G. Brinkhof: Timing of reproduction. An experimental study in coots.
1996 C. Deerenberg: Parental energy and fitness costs in birds.
1996 T. de Boer: Sleep regulation in the Djungarian hamster. The effects of temperature, photoperiod and daily torpor.
1997 P.M. Meerlo: Behavioural and chronobiological consequences of social stress in rats.
1997 K.C. de Kogel: Long-term effects of brood size on offspring. An experimental study in the Zebrafinch.
1999 A.M. Strijkstra: Periodic euthermy during hibernation in the European ground squirrel: causes and consequences.
1999 P.E. Boon: Daylength and growth: Behaviour, energy balance and protein synthesis.
1999 M.J.H. Kas: Sleep and circadian timekeeping in ''Octodon degus''.
2000 I.R. Pen: Sex allocation in a life history context. (cum laude)
2001 R.A. Hut: Natural entrainment of circadian systems. A study in the diurnal ground squirrel ''Spermophilus citellus''.
2001 K. Jansen: Circadian rhythms in pacemaker and behavior. (a study in the Common vole, ''Microtus arvalis'')
2001 M. Oklejewicz: The rate of living in tau mutant Syrian hamsters. Studies on the impact of a circadian allele on temporal organisation.
2002 B.I. Tieleman: Avian adaptation along an aridity gradient. Physiology, behavior, and life history. (cum laude)
2003 C. Carere: Personality as an epigenetic suite of traits. A study on a passerine bird.
2003 B. Riedstra: Development and social nature of feather pecking.
2003 B.A.M. Biemans: A time to remember. Consequences of ageing on the circadian memory modulation in rodents.
2004 C.M. Eising: Mother knows best? Costs and benefits of differential hormone allocation in birds.
2004 W. Müller: Maternal phenotypic engineering. Adaptation and constraint in prenatal maternal effects.
2004 N.B. Baron von Engelhardt: Proximate control in avian sex allocation - a study in zebra finches.
2005 M. Rüger: Lighting up the human clock: Effects of bright light on physiological and psychological states in humans.
2005 K. Spoelstra: Dawn and Dusk. Behavioural and molecular complexity in circadian entrainment.
2005 S. Engel: Racing the wind. Water economy and energy expenditure in avian endurance flight.
2006 P.D. Dijkstra: Know thine enemy. Intrasexual selection and sympatric speciation in a Lake Victoria cichlid fish.
2006 P. Korsten: Avian sex allocation and ornamental coloration. A study on blue tits.
2007 C. Schmidt-Wellenburg: Costs of migration. Short- and long-term consequences of avian endurance flight.
2007 L.M. Vaanholt: The rate of living in mice. Impacts of activity and temperature on energy metabolism and longevity.
2007 A. Zavada: Defining and determining the properties of the human sleep homeostat.
2007 D. van der Veen: Neural substrate and the timing of behaviour in a multiple clock system.
2009 T. Limbourg: Parental care in relation to offspring sex and mate attractiveness in the Blue tit.
2009 R.H.E. Mullers: The commuting parent. Energetic constraints in a long distance forager, the Cape gannet.
2009 K.A. Schubert: Breeding on a budget. Fundamental links between energy metabolism and mammalian life history trade-offs. (cum laude)
2009 M.A. Comas Soberats: Entrainment to daylength in the mouse circadian system. Behavioural and molecular analyses. (cum laude)
Honorary doctorate:
2009
Michael Menaker
Michael Menaker (May 19, 1934 – February 14, 2021), was an American chronobiology researcher, and was Commonwealth Professor of Biology at University of Virginia. His research focused on circadian rhythmicity of vertebrates, including contribu ...
, University of Virginia
''Laudakia stellio daani''
A
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of lizard found on some Greek Aegean islands and Turkish Anatolia, ''
Laudakia stellio daani'', is named after S. Daan. The subspecies differs from the
nominotypical subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
(''L. stellio stellio'') by having a black-gray head instead of yellowish or reddish head color. This difference was noted by Serge Daan during his investigations in the Mediterranean area, and reported in a paper in 1967 .
Social gatherings
Serge Daan and his wife Ruth Hohe-Daan are well known for their hospitality within the scientific community. Throughout the years, many biologists have stayed in their house ‘villa Later’ in Paterswolde.
Serge and Ruth are also well known for organising a yearly summer garden party for the people working in the lab.
Honors and awards
1967 UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM: The annual student award, for a study on: Lateral undulations in the spinal cord in lizard locomotion
1980
Laudakia stellio daani, a Greek and Turkish lizard, named after S.Daan by A.Beutler, E. Frør, Mitt. Zool. Ges. Braunau 3: 255-290
1992
ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...
Forschungspreis (Research Prize) (Germany)
2000 ROYAL SOCIETY of CANADA, elected Foreign Fellow
2002 Recipient of “Aschoff’s Rule”, meeting of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, Amelia Island (Fa, USA). Many chronobiologists will envy Serge for this prize. It is the ruler that was owned by
Jürgen Aschoff
Jürgen Walther Ludwig Aschoff (January 25, 1913 – October 12, 1998) was a German physician, biologist and behavioral physiologist. Together with Erwin Bünning and Colin Pittendrigh, he is considered to be a co-founder of the field of chrono ...
, one of the fathers of modern chronobiology. The ruler is awarded each time by the previous winner to a new winner, who is selected because he or she is doing chronobiological research with a different technique in a different species than the previous winner. The names of the winners are listed on the back of the ruler.
2003 Appointed as Niko Tinbergen Distinguished Professor in Behavioural Biology
2005
Ridder in de Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands ( nl, De Orde van de Nederlandse Leeuw, french: L'Ordre du Lion Néerlandais) is a Dutch order of chivalry founded by King William I of the Netherlands on ...
(Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion)
2006
INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR BIOLOGY
The is an annual award for "outstanding contribution to the advancement of research in fundamental biology." The Prize, although it is not always awarded to a biologist, is one of the most prestigious honours a natural scientist can receive. Ther ...
(
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
The is an Independent Administrative Institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.JSPSweb page
History
The Japan Society for ...
). Without doubt, this is the most prestigious prize Serge Daan obtained. Many biologists consider this prize to be the highest international award in Biology. For Serge Daan, the fact that this prize introduced him to the royal family of Japan represents a special dimension.
2008 Eminent Scientist Award (
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
The is an Independent Administrative Institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.JSPSweb page
History
The Japan Society for ...
)
References
External links
University of Groningen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daan, Serge
1940 births
2018 deaths
Dutch zoologists
University of Amsterdam alumni
University of Groningen faculty
People from Mook en Middelaar
Chronobiologists