Circadian embargo clock malfunctions as press release is published ahead of schedule

Melatonin, anyone?

PNAS lifted the embargo early on a study today following the publication of a university press release on a website some time before the embargo was scheduled to lift. This was the top of a PNAS press office email to reporters just before noon Eastern today, three hours before the embargo was scheduled to lift:

PNAS is lifting the embargo early on the following paper. All other articles are under the scheduled embargo:

Article #15-01327: “Circadian control of innate immunity in macrophages by miR-155 targeting Bmal1,” by Anne M. Curtis et al.

PNAS tells us that this press release from Trinity College Dublin, one of the authors’ institutions, broke the release when it was published about five hours before the embargo time on HealthCanal.