As days shorten and the cold encroaches, roughly two dozen mammalian species fatten up and settle down for a long winter's nap. Humans, however, continue to trudge through the frigid darkness, and researchers aren't entirely sure why. Total human hibernation is a bit far-fetched, yet many mammals--from bears to shrews--hibernate, and researchers want to know more. "The general feeling is that hibernators have the same collection of genes and proteins that humans do, but express them at different places and times," says Hannah Carey, a professor in the Department of Comparative Biosciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Veterinary Medicine. She says she's confident that studies will uncover and eventually reveal how to manipulate such pathways.
Researchers may never be able to recreate Sleeping Beauty. Nonetheless, hibernators could teach humans some other tricks. Black bears stave off osteoporosis during long periods of lethargy. Ground squirrels suppress stress responses ...
