Hummingbirds do it. Bears do it. Even whistle pigs do it. So why don’t we do it?
That’s the question scientists who study hibernation are asking. If humans could hibernate, or at least harness the power of torpor (as scientists call the dormant drowse), conditions such as SIDS, obesity and diabetes might be a thing of the past.
Researchers hope that studies of hibernators also may aid trauma victims, help preserve transplant organs, lead to safer weight-loss treatments and blood-thinning agents and shed light on some of the most basic, but still mysterious processes in the body.