Madagascar's dwarf lemur could hold the key to human hibernation and help in mankind's deep space explorations, a group of neuroscientists found. Tapping into the powers of hibernation is needed to achieve humankind's goal in venturing outside our solar system.
Suspended animation is the ability to put on hold biological processes. In the 1950s, NASA spent a huge amount of money into this biological research.
The theoretical solution is to put astronauts in deep sleep or hibernation as they travel their way into the farther reaches of the galaxy, just like in the movies Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Avatar and Lost in Space.
Hibernating onboard the spacecraft means less need for food, oxygen and water. It will also make long flights more practical and less boring for the onboard space crew. Eventually, NASA's interest in the research waned in recent years.
Ukrainian neuroscientist Vladyslav Vyazovskiy and a team of scientists from the University of Oxford are harnessing the hibernation abilities of mammals such as dwarf lemurs and bears to help put astronauts in a state of motionlessness.
A 2004 study found that the Madagascan dwarf lemur spends seven months of a year in deep sleep inside tree holes, despite winter temperatures increase of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Past studies on bats also revealed the animals can preserve most of their memories after months in hibernation, especially the ability to recognize close family members.
Understanding how and when animals spontaneously hibernate for hours and even months can hold the key in perfecting the technology. There are also many challenges, including how to withstand the damaging effects of the cold on the brain and retain memories.
"The fact that large mammals such as bears and even primates, such as the fat-tailed dwarf lemur of Madagascar, can hibernate means that theoretically humans aren't too big or energy-hungry to enter torpor," said Vyazovskiy.
The researchers, who are part of a European Space Agency (ESA) program, said that the theoretical solution is possible. They highlighted the common utilization of controlled hypothermia in the field of medicine, as well as slowed metabolism.
During cardiac surgeries, the body needs to be cooled down below the normal temperature. The researchers pointed to these existing technologies as possible avenues to perfect human hibernation for space exploration.
Photo: Frank Vassen | Flickr
