Why is hibernation the key to space travel?

Inside the spacecraft, the astronauts timed and locked themselves inside the cold compartment and fell into a deep slumber that would take them beyond hundreds of years without aging. A familiar scene in a science fiction movie but will this become a reality?

Researchers interested in this question began with the animal world where "hibernation" is common, occurring in over 200 species. Take the Arctic Ground Squirrel for example, this animal digs deep into the ice and sinks into a "hibernation" state, its body temperature quickly drops to -2.9 degrees Celsius.

Others, such as the lemur-tailed lemur, prepare for a hibernation by stuffing their food and storing most of their fat on their tails, doubling their body weight. After hibernation, he woke up with a slender body.

Why do these animals hibernate?

Hibernation is essential, which is a trick to survive the harsh winter when scarcity of food and water threatens survival. Previously, experts believed that hibernation occurred only in temperate and welding environments. Recently, they discovered hibernating animals even in arid deserts and rainforests. As soon as the hibernation process begins, the heart rate of animals decreases by 1 to 3% compared to normal, such as lemurs, the usual heart rate from approximately 180 beats / minute to about 4 beats / minute. The breathing rate also decreases to just 1 beat every 10 to 21 minutes. And in most hibernating animals, there is no waste disposal during sleep.

According to the researchers, hibernation to reduce the rate of metabolism and body temperature, when hibernation is almost dormant, falls into a state of lethargy. Hibernation is not a long winter sleep. The animals can stay lethargic for a few days to 5 weeks. Afterwards, they recover their metabolic rate and normal body temperature for about 24 hours, before continuing to return to lethargy. The reason why the phenomenon of waking up in the middle of the interval is still a mystery.

The mechanism of action of hibernation

Changes in the body during this hibernation, such as a five-week hibernation or a nearly-freezing body temperature, will be fatal to those who are not able to hibernate like humans. To understand how hibernation works, researchers have turned their attention to the genomes of animals. Studies on ground squirrels, black bears and lemurs have shown that these animals are capable of activating genes that control fat metabolism when they need to use stored fat as fuel. survive in the long-term fast. And importantly, these genomes are found in all mammals, meaning scientists can study hibernate species to find ways to activate them to benefit humans.

Someday, hibernation in humans will become a reality. And our children and grandchildren will be surprised to learn that the key to intergalactic travel turned out to come from earth squirrels, black bears or lemurs.