Researchers are learning hibernating Arctic floor squirrels with the objective of harnessing the advantages of this odd pure state to guard astronauts’ well being on long-duration space missions.
Hibernation is not only sleep. In actual fact, it is fairly completely different from sleep. Whereas we sleep, our brains fireplace up and change into extremely lively; in hibernation, quite the opposite, mind exercise utterly slows down. The physique temperature of hibernating animals additionally drops, in some instances near the freezing level, cells cease dividing and coronary heart price decreases to 2 beats per minute.
But, as soon as it is time to get up, hibernating animals bounce again to life with none substantial unintended effects. The identical, nevertheless, cannot be stated about individuals who get up from long-term medical comas, and even those that are bed-ridden for lengthy intervals of time. Such individuals, identical to astronauts in microgravity, would endure from a variety of unintended effects that come from not actively utilizing their our bodies: Muscle loss, bone loss, organ degradation.
Associated: ‘Hibernating’ astronauts may be key to Mars Colonization
NASA is subsequently wanting into hibernation analysis with the goal of creating methods to induce hibernation in future space farers. Lately, the company has awarded a grant to Kelly Drew, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry on the College of Alaska, Fairbanks, who has studied hibernating animals for greater than twenty years.
“This analysis might be used to assist future missions, from the intense of medically induced hibernation for long run space missions, defending astronauts from cabin fever, ionizing radiation, and rather more,” NASA stated in a statement (opens in new tab). “It may additionally show efficient in stopping muscle and bone loss in zero gravity.”
The concept is that quite than having astronauts sit for months in a tiny Mars-bound capsule, consuming meals, water and air, and progressively losing away from not doing a lot in microgravity, part of the crew might be positioned into hibernation. The hibernating astronauts would not want any meals or water and will handle with a lot much less air — but they’d get up with their bones and muscle mass in a a lot better situation than these of their awake counterparts.
The state of hibernation may additionally assist in the medical setting to assist shield sufferers affected by life-threatening circumstances reminiscent of coronary heart assaults and strokes.
“This might imply that sufferers who’ve suffered from a stroke or coronary heart assault might be positioned in medically induced hibernation to gradual their metabolism till they are often transported to a hospital to obtain care, which may considerably enhance medical outcomes,” NASA stated within the assertion.
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