Human hibernation is a real possibility - this is how it might work

Mounting grounds suggests that humans whitethorn person the biologic hardware to payment from immoderate aspects of hibernation. Switching connected these mechanisms could dainty cardiac arrest, boost longevity and assistance radical question further into space

Health 11 October 2022

By Alex Wilkins

Humans whitethorn clasp the biologic mechanisms to trigger aspects of hibernation

Antonio Sortino

IF YOU could rewind the evolutionary timepiece millions of years, you mightiness observe that your ancestors had a singular trait. It wouldn’t beryllium evident astatine first. But successful definite conditions – if nutrient were scarce oregon determination were a acold drawback – it is imaginable that their eyes would turn dense and their bodies statesman to dilatory until, eventually, they switched disconnected entirely. They would beryllium hibernating.

In this low-energy state, today’s hibernators tin fend disconnected a singular array of threats, from the wrong and out. Extreme acold and famine are the evident ones, but hibernation besides has the powerfulness to combat conditions that plague modern humans, including Alzheimer’s disease, changeable and bosom attack. It could adjacent clasp the cardinal to longevity and colonising space. No wonderment immoderate researchers are keen to reinstate what mightiness person been our long-lost superpower.

The thought that past humans could hibernate whitethorn look far-fetched, but mounting grounds suggests that galore non-hibernating mammals clasp an quality to participate reduced-energy states, including done dormant brain-signaling pathways that dilatory metabolism. “The organisation of hibernating taxon connected the histrion of mammals makes the apt decision that the communal ancestor of each mammals was a hibernator,” says Sandy Martin astatine the University of Colorado. “It’s imaginable we each person the familial hardware.”

It remains to beryllium seen whether immoderate underlying circuitry tin beryllium fired up capable to bestow america with immoderate of hibernation’s protective properties. But the imaginable spoils are excessively large not to try.

[box_out id="2224004" image="false" companionText="Read more:" linkText="" …