Stock up on berries

There’s some fascinating research going on that hints at humans being able to enter a state of Suspended animation in order to survive hostile environments, or to preserve bodily functions until proper care can be provided. Some of this comes from stories of people surviving in harsh weather by going into something of a comatose state, or patients being determined as clinically dead before popping back to life much later on.

These stories of freak survival aside, scientists have been researching with numerous species on ways to enforce a reversible, hibernating state using infusions of fake blood, ultralow temperatures and even toxic gasses. Pigs, dogs and mice all exhibit the ability to go to the brink of death and sit there for a while until being revived, most often without showing any signs of damage.

The biggest problem with the body going into this power-save mode is that it opens up potential for brain damage due to a lack of blood flow. For now, all the tests have been run on animals, but the biggest question is whether these findings might someday apply to humans as well. Can we be brought into a state where our bodies just turn off, only to “power back up” when the proper medical attention is available? One of the biggest hurdles, the article admits, is simply trying to educate the public about the possibilities this research might open up, and to calm fears about, say, producing zombies.

We’ve seen lots of those science fiction movies that show people cryogenically preserved throughout the centuries, or perhaps space travelers in a suspended animation in order to go between the stars. Maybe this is a step closer to seeing some of those technologies become a reality. For now, scientists foresee this as being perhaps a way to save lives. If someone is bleeding to death after a car accident, their body could be shut down for the ambulance ride to the hospital, where they could be treated and reawakened without any further damage or deterioration of health.

I see that smile.