Will Humans Ever Be Able to Hibernate?

TL;DR

Researchers are exploring the potential for human hibernation using fat-tailed lemurs and hydrogen sulfide, which could have various medical applications and even aid space exploration.

Transcript

Ever woken up on a cold morning and wished you had five more minutes in bed? How about five days, months, or years of slumber? Lots of researchers have been contemplating that question too, and not just after a hard day in the lab. Figuring out how to get humans to hibernate could be a life-saving therapy... and maybe even let us travel to distant ... Read More

Key Insights

• 💾 Hibernation is an energy-saving strategy used by various animals to survive harsh conditions.
• 👨 Fat-tailed lemurs show that genetic control can enable prolonged hibernation states.
• 😷 Inducing hibernation in humans could have numerous medical benefits, such as reducing organ damage and extending organ shelf-lives.
• 🐭 Hydrogen sulfide has the potential to induce a hibernation-like state in mice, suggesting its possible application in human hibernation.
• ☠️ Challenges to overcome for human hibernation include preventing blood clots and maintaining muscle and bone health during extended periods of inactivity.

Questions & Answers

Q: How is hibernation different from sleep?

Hibernation is a general slowdown of bodily functions and metabolism, while sleep has characteristic brainwaves and eye movements.

Q: How do fat-tailed lemurs hibernate for long periods of time?

Fat-tailed lemurs control gene expressions to optimize fat metabolism while conserving resources during hibernation, allowing them to survive on stored fat reserves.

Q: What medical applications could human hibernation have?

Human hibernation could reduce organ damage in emergencies, extend the lifespan of transplanted organs, and potentially aid in space exploration by conserving resources during long journeys.

Q: How can hydrogen sulfide induce a hibernation-like state in mice?

Hydrogen sulfide can bind to a key enzyme in mitochondria, blocking out oxygen and triggering a shutdown of metabolic processes, which is similar to hibernation.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Hibernation is an energy-saving strategy that allows animals to endure harsh conditions by slowing down bodily functions and metabolism.

• Fat-tailed lemurs in Madagascar hibernate for up to eight months a year by controlling gene expressions related to fat metabolism.

• Inducing hibernation in humans could have medical benefits such as reducing organ damage in emergencies and increasing the lifespan of transplanted organs.

• Hydrogen sulfide gas has shown potential in inducing a hibernation-like state in mice, suggesting it may have implications for human hibernation.