Early risers naturally wake up early because of their body clock. Most people are still in deep sleep. Researchers said early risers share DNA with Neanderthals – our ancestors from 40,000 years ago. They lived in northern Europe and Asia. They woke up earlier to gather food as the sun rose. A researcher said our body clock can change with the light of different seasons. He said a "faster" body clock makes people "more likely to rise early".

The researchers looked at genetic information to find out why some people are early birds and others are night owls. The early birds shared DNA with Neanderthals. However, the effect of the Neanderthal DNA may be weakening as time passes. Our modern lifestyles mean many of us prefer to sleep in and not get up. Nevertheless, it may still be true that the early bird catches the worm.