English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduResearchers from Washington University in St. Louis have used ultrasound to nudge rodents into an energy-conserving state that mirrors a natural, hibernation-like survival mechanism known as torpor. The technique could help buy precious time for patients in critical care.
Tag: Hibernation
Induction of a torpor-like state with ultrasound
Some animals preserve energy and heat by going into torpor, during which body temperature and metabolic rate drop, similar to hibernation. WashU researchers have safely and noninvasively induced such a state in mice and rats using ultrasound. Their work could help people with health conditions and astronauts.
Hummingbirds use torpor in varying ways to survive cold temps
Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any animal. The tropical hummingbirds that live in the Andes Mountains in South America must expend considerable energy to maintain their high body temperatures in cold environments. One tool that they use to survive cold nights is called torpor, a hibernation-like state that allows them to ramp down energy consumption to well below what they normally use during the day.
Math Model Shows Climate Change Puts Rainforest Animal’s Survival in Jeopardy
A South American marsupial with ties to an ancient line of animals may go extinct in the next half-century due to warming temperatures. Researchers from the Universidad Austral de Chile will present a mathematical model of the monito del monte’s survival predictions this week at the American Physiological Society (APS) Intersociety Meeting in Comparative Physiology: From Organism to Omics in an Uncertain World conference in San Diego.
Neuroscientists discover neural circuits that control hibernation-like behaviors in mice
Neuroscientists have discovered neurons that control hibernation-like behavior in mice, revealing for the first time the neural circuits that regulate this state. By better understanding these processes, the authors envision the possibility of one day working toward inducing torpor in humans.