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Some animals go into hibernation when the temperature drops and food is scarce. The physiological process, which occurs naturally in some species, reduces normal metabolism to low levels for days or even weeks.
These periods of low metabolism, called torpor, allow animals' body temperature to drop just above the ambient air temperature, helping them to conserve energy.
Humans are not subject to torpor, but scientists are interested in producing synthetic torpor in certain situations, such as during spaceflight.
In a press release from the American Physiological Society published by EurekAlert, Matthew Regan, of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, said a synthetic torpedo could protect astronauts from the health risks associated with space.
It could also reduce requirements in terms of volume and mass of spacecraft, as well as power, which could help reduce the cost of long space flights.
A journey on Mars' s planet lasts six to nine months and during this time, human passengers should use valuable resources such as air, water and food.
Regan and other researchers gathered on Oct. 27 at the Comparative Physiology: Complexity and Integration Conference of the American Physiological Society, in New Orleans, to explore how synthetic torpor could be induced by the brain , its benefits to astronauts during space missions and what makes it different. like to sleep.
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In addition to reducing costs and resources for long space travel, putting humans in hibernation also has health benefits, according to SpaceWorks president and former NASA engineer John Bradford. .
according to CNET, the Atlanta-based company is already working to hibernate humans during long interplanetary travel.
Bradford said research has shown that slowing metabolism can help combat muscle atrophy, bone demineralization and intracranial pressure that astronauts tend to experience in the low-gravity environment of the body. # 39; space. Some evidence even suggests that it can help protect against radiation.
Doug Talk, the SpaceWorks medical team, said that the human body does not behave very well in space and that it is important to find ways to make it adaptable to the microgravity environment.
"We use a term called" biological plausibility "in medicine, which means that if you look at what we do and the human body and how it works, it makes sense," said Talk.
"This technology has biological plausibility. this could actually be beneficial to humans in the space. "
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