Now, in research published in Science, an Université de Montréal biologist has figured out why, and his findings could have implications for, of all things, the future of space travel . By studying a variety called the 13-lined ground squirrel that is common in North America, Matthew Regan has confirmed a theory known as "urea nitrogen salvage" dating back to the 1980s.
The theory posits that hibernators harness a metabolic trick of their gut microbes to recycle the nitrogen present in urea, a waste compound that is usually excreted as urine, and use it to build new tissue proteins.
How could this discovery be of use in space? Theoretically, Regan posits, by helping astronauts minimize their own muscle-loss problems caused by microgravity-induced suppression of protein synthesis and which they now try to reduce by intensively exercising.
If a way could be found to augment the astronauts' muscle protein synthesis processes using urea nitrogen salvage, they could be able to achieve better muscle health during long voyages into deep space in spacecraft too small for the usual exercise equipment, the argument goes.
"Because we know which muscle proteins are suppressed during spaceflight, we can compare these proteins with those that are enhanced by urea nitrogen salvage during hibernation," said Regan, who carried out this research while a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Journal Reference:
Matthew D. Regan, Edna Chiang, Yunxi Liu , et al. Nitrogen recycling via gut symbionts increases in ground squirrels over the hibernation season, Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.abh2950)
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 29 2022, @10:25PM (3 children)
Yikes, wait until the International Jew gets ahold of this development.
Not only do they want us eating bugs and living in pods, but now they will insist on forced hibernation "to save the planet," or "climate change," or something. Then of course the Medical Jew can profit from treating hibernation complications, as hibernation will be seasonal and therefore a recurring revenue stream.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Frosty Piss on Saturday January 29 2022, @10:38PM (1 child)
Go back to Slashdot.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 29 2022, @11:02PM
Go back to Reddit.
(Score: 0, Troll) by khallow on Sunday January 30 2022, @04:52AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @12:03AM
Stay on Earth, astronauts, we need all available manpower to fight these zombie squirrels.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @01:14AM
To store their nuts instead of playing with them
(Score: 1) by sweettea on Sunday January 30 2022, @02:30AM (5 children)
Can this be used to build muscle, or merely prevent deterioration? Imagine all the gym-haters who could build muscle with this instead of actually putting in the time...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @03:51AM (4 children)
This is about preventing loss. The squirrels don't bulk up while they sleep.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Sunday January 30 2022, @06:57AM (3 children)
sweettea has a point though. It prevents muscle loss by rebuilding it. It might not take much tweaking to exceed the rate of loss.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @04:46PM (2 children)
That risks starvation since the new material must come from somewhere and the squirrel/person isn't eating. Rebuilding using existing material doesn't have that problem.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Monday January 31 2022, @03:26AM
I wasn't suggesting bulking up hibernating squirrels, and neither was sweettea. If this can stop muscles wasting away in hibernating animals then it should only be a short step to building huge muscles while eating and working out. If it works it will very likely be abused much like steroids and testosterone are.
No problem is insoluble, but at Ksp = 2.943×10−25 Mercury Sulphide comes close.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday January 31 2022, @03:48AM
Such as urine which is otherwise a waste product?
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @05:26AM (2 children)
It would be much more cost efficient to just retrain our British Editors as astronauts, as they already have innate hibernation abilities
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @07:48AM (1 child)
Maybe if they could drink their own urine, to do that whole urea recycling thing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @08:18AM
Cf. DannyB's journal on bizarre Covid-19 cures, including eating your own nuts and drinking your own urine, and voting for Trump.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @09:25AM (1 child)
Tycho Brahe died from holding it in...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @04:48PM
That was the official explanation given to cover up that he was poisoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday January 30 2022, @12:37PM
Pop a few bags of hibernating squirrels into the cargo hold, and pull them out for a snack whenever you get hungry.
(Score: 3, Funny) by mcgrew on Sunday January 30 2022, @06:13PM (1 child)
Where are these hibernating squirrels? Siberia? Here in Illinois, the transformers on utility poles explode because squirrels get inside trying to get warm and short them out.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 31 2022, @04:56AM
The ground. These are more similar to chipmunks than the tree-squirrels you're thinking of.