[ad_1]
Astronauts could be one day to hibernate for deep space trips to Mars and Beyond, scientists suggest.
From movies such as Aliens to Interstellar, Hollywood has long been in the air.
But this once-fanciful sci-fi staple could become a reality in spaceflight, a meeting of scientists suggested.
They are meeting to understand the physiology and potential for hibernation and the related process.
Humans do not hibernate like bears and some other animals when food is scarce and temperatures low.
These animals survive by entering hibernation, a physiological process that reduces their normal metabolism to low levels for days or weeks at a time.
These periods of low metabolism, known as torpor, allow the animal's body temperature to fall to just above the temperature, thus conserving energy.
Humans do not naturally undergo torpor, but scientists are interested in the idea of producing states of "synthetic" torpor for spaceflight and treating serious illnesses.
Postdoctural Fellow Dr. Matthew Regan The University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine Explained: "Synthetic torpor could protect astronauts from space-related health hazards and simultaneously reduce demands on spacecraft mass, volume and power capabilities."
The theory is hibernating crew are kept alive over vast distances.
This means spacecrafts do not have to be so much and they are cheaper while astronauts do not get bored as they cross long distances of space.
The symposium in New Orleans will explore how it could be induced by the brain, its similarities and differences to sleep, and how it could benefit astronauts.
And studying hibernation in mammals, how they are able to safely reduce their body temperature and metabolism, can also help treating such traumatic medical events, such as stroke, cardiac arrest and severe blood loss.
Animals that use a natural resistance to various injuries.
They are also resistant to radiation injury and decoding this resistance.
Professor Hannah Carey of the University of Wisconsin said the clinical trial is based on the hypothesis of hypothermia-based methods to treat trauma patients.
And studying hibernation could be important
How does the nervous system reduce metabolic activity during torpor remains unknown.
Assistant Professor of Physiology Dr. Matteo Cerri from the University of Bologna in Italy explained many of the features that regulate metabolism controlled by nerve cells (neurons) located in the pallidus raphe, an area of the brainstem that controls the production of heat in mammals.
Prof Cerri added: "For an animal to enter torpor, the neurons within the raphe pallidus have to be inhibited
"If function in these cells is not suppressed their activity would counteract the hypothermia induced by torpor."
He will present preliminary results identifying neurons projecting to the pallidus and involved in torpor-related activity.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience Dr. Vladyslav Vyazovskiy of the University of Oxford added defining the relationship between sleep and fraught with controversy.
But the two states appear to be intimately linked because of the neuronal connections they share.
A lack of available food sources can cause mammals to conserve energy and lower their body temperature, two hallmark characteristics of torpor, research showed.
Prof. Vyazovskiy said: "Less is known about the specific fasting-related signals which in torpor.
He will discuss the connection between sleep and torpor.
Some of the physiological adaptations that animals exhibit, such as the low-oxygen environments that they have and experience high altitude flight, are impossible for humans.
Yet, how can animals adapt in extreme conditions to a positive role in human medical science, particularly in the "extreme environment of space.
The Incredible Possibility of Traveling to Mars, a Science Fiction Story, emphasizes the need to resolve the problem of long-distance spaceflight, including having ample supply of food, water and breathable air.
Finding a way to induce torpor in humans could help protect against astronauts from harmful radiation.
The Symposium was part of the American Physiological Society's Comparative Physiology: Complexity and Integration Conference.
Since you're here …
We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for yourself by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing.
Every penny we collect from donations supports vital investigative and independent journalism. You can also help us to grow your social media.
Source link
