[0] Secrets of hibernation.

Hibernation allows animals to get through the cold of winter because the extremely slow metabolism that is brought on by deep sleep enables them to get by with little or no food. Recent studies have shown that hibernation can also prevent disease and help animals live longer. This knowledge is being applied to research into medicines that will, it is hoped, lead to longer life expectancies for humans.

Molecular research has provided few clues into the mechanisms that bring about hibernation. But a research team at the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences in Machida, Tokyo, has discovered a hibernation-specific protein (HP) in the blood of an Asiatic chipmunk that could provide some answers.

The research …