Bear Hibernation == Suspended Animation?

Feb 18 2011 Published by under Ramblings

I’m finding that there are a few definitions of suspended animation… here’s one:

In early winter, brown bears find a comfy spot in a cave or burrow that’s well-protected from the cold. Then they curl up, fall asleep, and don’t awaken or eat for 5 to 7 months. It’s called hibernation, and until now we weren’t really sure what happened in bears’ bodies during that time. How could they survive for half a year without food? Today, Science published the first comprehensive study of bear hibernation, which revealed that many of our assumptions about it were wrong.

What will suspended animation really be like? A new study offers hints.

Comments are off for this post