Frogs sleep in mud

A cave frog can survive for many years in mud without food and water. New research sheds light on how frogs and other 'dormant' animals can do this.

Many animals go through a period of lethargy to conserve energy when food sources become scarce. This 'energy saving' champion is a cave frog (cyclorama alboguttata).

A team of scientists at the University of Queensland discovered that the metabolism of frog cells completely changes during the "sleep" process, allowing them to make the most of limited energy.

This cave frog species (Cyclorana alboguttata) maximizes the ability to use energy to survive a lethargic state for months or even years. (Photo: Sara M. Kayes)

This finding could be used in medicine.

Sara Kayes, she presented her findings at the meeting of the Experimental Biology Society in Glasgow, Scotland Monday, May 29, said: 'This finding will most likely be useful in curing methods. energy-related disorders such as obesity '.

The efficiency of frog cell mitochondria, the tiny 'energy station' of the cell, during 'sleep', is significantly higher than that of normal animals.

This tip, called mitochondrial hook, allows frogs to be particularly effective in using meager energy resources, through increasing the total amount of energy collected per unit of consumption, allowing them to operate 'more economically' than other animals, even if they are not active for a long time.

If there is such an effective energy use when sleeping, why is it not common in the animal world?

Researchers predict that there is a drawback that reactive oxygen production is high, leading to oxidative stress. Because these tiny molecules are thought to cause the most damage during waking up, the mitochondrial hooking does not seem like a good idea for animals that often suddenly wake up during sleep. .

In contrast, cave frogs are thought to sleep deeply during their entire sleep process. In addition, as a cold-blooded animal, they do not need to keep the level of basic heat generation.