If only all mammals could hibernate. Studies have shown that some species of hibernating animals live longer and age more slowly than animals that do not hibernate. In fact, a recent study has shown that hibernation slows biological aging in yellow-bellied marmots. During hibernation, an animal’s metabolism slows to conserve energy. In the case of the yellow-bellied marmots, metabolism drops to only 1% of non-hibernating levels. The researchers observed that aging essentially stalled during hibernation and resumed during the summer months when the animals were active.
Granted my productivity would decline greatly with a 7-8 month-long nap, I can definitely appreciate the benefits in terms of aging. Is there such thing as awake-deprivation? If we ever achieve human hibernation for space travel, I wonder if the astronauts would also age more slowly compared to colleagues back on Earth.
Source
GM Pinho, JGA Martin, C Farrell, A Haghani, JA Zoller, J Zhang, S Snir, M Pellegrini, RK Wayne, DT Blumstein, S Horvath. Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots. Nature Ecology & Evolution. 6: 418-426, 2022.
Categories: Aging, Extreme Animals, Hibernation and Hypoxia, sleep
Life Lines by Dr. Dolittle 