[extropy-chat] NEWS: Mice put in 'suspended animation' - BBC

Russell Wallace russell.wallace at gmail.com
Fri Apr 22 18:16:44 UTC 2005


On 4/22/05, Neil Halelamien <neuronexmachina at gmail.com> wrote:
> Mammals normally maintain their core body temperature (CBT) despite
> changes in environmental temperature. Exceptions to this norm include
> suspended animation-like states such as hibernation, torpor, and
> estivation. These states are all characterized by marked decreases in
> metabolic rate, followed by a loss of homeothermic control in which
> the animal's CBT approaches that of the environment. We report that
> hydrogen sulfide can induce a suspended animation-like state in a
> nonhibernating species, the house mouse (Mus musculus). This state is
> readily reversible and does not appear to harm the animal. This
> suggests the possibility of inducing suspended animation-like states
> for medical applications.

Interesting.

How sure can we be that the house mouse isn't descended from a
hibernating species? (Does anyone know where it originated from before
it started hitch-hiking all over the planet? That might give a clue if
so.)

- Russell



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