Most science fiction movies that involve a years long journey across the cosmos usually involve some variation of the same plot: sleep pod technology fails and people wake up years ahead of schedule, often in the midst of some life or death crisis that imperils their mission and the lives of everyone on board. Sometimes the pods fail because of sabotage, other times just misfortune. Either way, action follows, romance ensues, and a good time is had by all.
Behind each of these tired plots is the same underlying technology: the ability to hibernate or enter into stasis. Technology that unfortunately just doesn’t exist yet. But it soon might. That’s because scientists conducting research on mice may have discovered the key to making that dream a reality: a hibernation switch.
According to Science Alert:
“Two separate studies have identified the elusive brain ‘switches’ that send mice into a hibernation-like state of torpor. This discovery could lead us closer to figuring out how to put other animals – even humans – in the same suspended state, which can be incredibly useful for an organism to do.”
Such as when they want to travel through space.
Scientific American sums it up best:
“A well-worn science-fiction trope imagines space travelers going into suspended animation as they head into deep space. Closer to reality are actual efforts to slow biological processes to a fraction of their normal rate by replacing blood with ice-cold saline to prevent cell death in severe trauma. But saline transfusions or other exotic measures are not ideal for ratcheting down a body’s metabolism because they risk damaging tissue.
Coaxing an animal into low-power mode on its own is a better solution. For some animals, natural states of lowered body temperature are commonplace. Hibernation is the obvious example. When bears, bats or other animals hibernate, they experience multiple bouts of a low-metabolism state called torpor for days at a time, punctuated by occasional periods of higher arousal. Mice enter a state known as daily torpor, lasting only hours, to conserve energy when food is scarce.
The mechanisms that control torpor and other hypothermic states—in which body temperatures drop below 37 degrees Celsius—are largely unknown. Two independent studies published in Nature on Thursday identify neurons that induce such states in mice when they are stimulated. The work paves the way toward understanding how these conditions are initiated and controlled. It could also ultimately help find methods for inducing hypothermic states in humans that will prove useful in medical settings. And more speculatively, such methods might one day approximate the musings about suspended animation that turn up in the movies.”
Let’s just hope that the technology actually works though as promised in real-life. Unlike in the movies.
Is a Hibernation Switch the Greatest Idea Ever?
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