The Human race might never be able to fulfil its fledgling ambition to colonise Mars because of how our body clocks work.

Scientists from Holland, Germany and the UK have concluded that having an internal body clock that beats in tune with the speed of the Earth’s rotation is essential to our survival.

A Martian day is 37 minutes longer, which could play havoc with our body clocks.

“The rotation speed of Mars may be within the limits of some people’s internal clock, but people with short running clocks, such as extreme morning types, are likely to face serious intractable long-term problems, and would perhaps be excluded from any plans NASA has to send humans to Mars,” said professor Andrew Loudon from the University of Manchester.

To determine the success of an expedition to the Red Planet, the research team studied the survival rates of animals with 24 and 20 hour clocks in outdoor pens, with free access to food, over a period of 14 months.

They found that mice with fast-running clocks gradually became less common with successive generations, so much so that by the end of the study, the population was dominated by animals with “normal” 24 hour body clocks.

“A correctly ticking body clock is essential for normal survival in the wild, and this has to be in phase with the rotation speed of the earth,” said Loudon. “Animals with clocks that do not run in synchrony with earth are selected against.”

The scientific study could have important implications for human health and demonstrates the importance of a having a body clock that matches the rotational speed of the Earth.

Body clock-disruption can lead to increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and has typically been associated with abnormal work and lighting conditions, such as night shift work.

“The prospect of settling on Mars is a somewhat distant prospect,” added Loudon. “But if we ever do get to the Red Planet, I suspect we will be faced with body clock problems”