One of the most fascinating aspects of the natural world is how different animals survive the winter. Hibernation allows various animals to enter a state for weeks or even months in which their body functions slow down, and they return to normal when warm weather arrives. Researchers in medical science are exploring ways to induce human hibernation. Besides enabling long space journeys, it could also be very useful in treating heart attacks and strokes.
Among the animals being studied are Arctic ground squirrels and grizzly bears. Arctic ground squirrels have a body temperature of 99 degrees F (37 °C) from April to October. From October to April, their body temperature drops to 27 degrees F (-3 °C), and their heart rate can drop as low as one beat per minute. A hibernating brown bear doesn’t experience such drastic temperature changes. The bear’s temperature drops to around 90 degrees and stays at that level from November to March, then rises back to summer levels. The bear undergoes a 5-month period of torpor that conserves energy and supports normal functions. For female bears, this includes giving birth and nursing cubs.
The effectiveness of these and other hibernation strategies is clear. Small animals like squirrels can’t store enough body fat to survive the winter, but bears can accumulate enough fat to sustain them for five months. Bears lose this weight so that when they emerge from the den at the end of winter, they are very lean and very hungry.
Medical scientists are investigating how to induce human hibernation because it could extend the window for critical care of stroke and heart attack patients. The research focuses on how humans might benefit from changes in body temperature to fight various diseases. Like everything else, we aim to develop medical treatments by learning from what God has already created.
— John N. Clayton © 2025
References: nationalgeographic.com and wikipedia