How Hibernating Bears Beat Bone Loss

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It was rather interesting for me to read this article. Thanks for it. I like such topics and everything connected to this matter. I definitely want to read a bit more on this blog soon. BTW, rather good design that blog has, but how about changing it from time to time?
Jane Meetington

escort london cim of AL 5:15PM July 06, 2010

That's a great question, Fred. There's no direct proof I know of that our ancestors could hibernate, but there's strong circumstantial evidence that the first mammal--which was a distant ancestor of ours, of course--could: Physiologists who study hibernation have pointed out to me that diverse kinds of mammals, including at least one primate, are able to hibernate. That suggests our lineage lost the ability somewhere along their evolutionary path.
Interestingly, some experts speculate that we haven't completely lost the capacity to lower metabolism during periods of cold, which is a hallmark of hibernation. There are anecdotal reports of young children falling into icy waters and being pulled out alive long after an adult in the same situation would have perished. Are kids somehow able to ratchet down metabolism when their lives depend on it? If so, it could provide a window into how the adult body could be coaxed into hibernation.

Ben Harder of DC 12:46PM January 31, 2008

"Hibernating animals, however, tap into some impressive physiological abilities that humans have long since lost."
Ben have you seen any scientific proof that we humans ever had the ability to hibernate? It sounds like a nice hypothesis by science though; I wonder if there have been any studies to induce an ailment in a bear and then treat the bear during hibernation?

Fred Main of OH 10:13AM January 30, 2008

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Thinking Harder

This blog is the public workshop of U.S. News writer and editor Ben Harder. In articles published in the magazine, he has covered a range of sciences, including medicine, human behavior, prehistory, and evolution. Here, he can explore those and other scientific fields more fully and more informally than is possible in print. He'll share whatever seems noteworthy or potentially useful, and he invites readers to do the same.

WTOP Audio
On Feb. 24, 2008, Ben discussed the link between artificial light and cancer on WTOP radio. Listen to the interview at WTOP News. He again talked about light pollution on WTOP on March 22, exploring its environmental effects.