Sub-Zero Squirrels

DesertFalcon writes "There's a Wired article about squirrels in the Arctic whose body temperatures drop below freezing when they hibernate. Scientists have the goal of applying this to humans in the long run. Could this be the answer to problems with long-distance space travel?" We had a previous story on this.

Comments

Dems good eatin

[seanmeister]

Could this be the answer to problems with long-distance space travel?

That depends on how many squirrels you can pack onto the ship.

Re:Dems good eatin

[SmallFurryCreature]

hehe, but the real problem would be training the squirrel to wake the other squirrels. Maybe a robotic squirrel can be there. You would need really small face huggers however. And of course a queen the size of a housecat isn't all that scary.

Yes I watched to much aliens. Sue me.

can you buy 'em by the dozen?

[KingPrad]

Or we could start freezing the useless and parasitic parts of the population and use them for building materials.

I, for one, would like to be able to buy a cord of assorted frozen politicians, lawyers, telemarketers, and SCO executives and build a log cabin of them. This may only work in northern regions though and you'd still have to insulate them to keep the summer heat from reawakening them, because that is a nightmare beyond imagining. Imagine your house beginning to yammer at you in mid-spring and reach a full-blast talk-fest in August until quietening down in October.

We've got plenty of useless people in society...why not do something useful with them? Building materials. Lawn gnomes. Support beams for coal mines. Nuclear moderating rods. If we ever need to run dangerous medical tests we can reanimate them and they'll be perfecty useful again! Or we could freeze them into hibernation for most of the year except for a designated hunting season in March when they are warmed up and turned loose in a few game reserves.
-

Re:can you buy 'em by the dozen?

[SmallFurryCreature]

You would build your house on lawyers? Talk about a shifty(ng) foundation. Of course politicians would be used for towers. Free rotating action for the restaurant on top. SCO foundations would however collapse overnight whenever a 800 pound blue gorrilla sits on it.

Squirrals? Big Deal.

[weeboo0104]

I have an ex-girlfriend who was frigid in bed

Re:Squirrals? Big Deal.

[rhs98]

I bet she didn't even need an injection to achieve that with your subtly

Re:Squirrals? Big Deal.

[damien_kane]

I bet she didn't even need an injection

I would assume so, but I think grandparent's complaint is moreso that she outright refused the injection...

An entire useless third of the population...

[Baron_Yam]

Perhaps we could build some kind of 'ark', load it up with this bunch of bloody loonies, and arrange to have it crash somewhere very remote so we don't have to deal with them anymore.

As long as everyone keeps their telephones clean, we'll be OK.

Re:An entire useless third of the population...

[Bishop923]

Europe tried that a few hundred years ago and it came back to bite them in the ass :-)

Re:Supercooling

[cupofjoe]

In that case, then, could you imagine what a strong, localized earthquake would do to the local squirrel population?

It'd be like a bunch of icepacks with fur.

I think the fact that supercooling proceeds to completion at all is a sign that there's something else going on.

RIP Kaminski, Hunter, and White.

[cupofjoe]

Everybody knows they already tried this with long-distance space travel. The problem wasn't freezing people, it was getting HAL to look after them.

Duh.

Besides, didn't we just leave this party?

Re:Don't bet on a quick fix, but learn anyway

[mph]

(pardon my potential redundancy if this was posetd on /. already)

This is Slashdot. We expect the same story to be posted two days straight, at least. Referring to an old story in passing is nothing to worry about.

I'm surprised there's no "Redundant (+1)" moderation option.

Perhaps someone should inform...

[Anonymous Coward]

...those Harvard light freezers about these squirrels. They might have a new place to shoot photons.

The answer to unemployment!

[KurdtX]

Hey, a bit off the wall, but wouldn't this be the answer to unemployment as well? Sure you'd have to figure out something to represent you so you don't have to be defrosted for every interview (as I assume the frosting/defrosting part is the worst), but I think that can be solved.

Think about it, you get fired, and instead of heading to the bar and spending your last paycheck on booze, you step into a freezer and then when you wake up someone's ready to do final negotiations on salary & benefits with you. You've probably even made money from the unemployment checks. Now, if they could only figure out a way to have you virtually play video games the entire time you're frozen.

(And no, I'm not serious, although it's cool to think about)

Re:The answer to unemployment!

[El]

Chances are your skill set would be obsolete by the time somebody thaws you out... heck, if I sleep more than 8 hours a night I fall behind the technology curve!

I, for one,

[MainframeKiller]

welcome our new cryogenic squirrel overlords!

Ah... I long for the days of AYBABTU...

great name...

[lunartech]

...for a band

I'm suspicious

[bill_mcgonigle]

I suspect this is all part of some elaborate scheme to steal more sunflower seeds from a nearby birdfeeder. Of course, we haven't figured out their plan yet - they're still outsmarting us.

"So long and thanks for all the sunflower seeds", and such.

The alcohol theory. . .

[MikeDawg]

I like to think that my blood has a lower freezing point than others; it generally has a higher alcohol content than the average person's blood. I like to think that by drinking I would be able to survive some pretty extremely cold situations.

On another note: "Hello everyone. . . My name is Mike. . . I'm an alcoholic"