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Suspended Animation In Mice Without Freezing

Posted by kdawson on from the you-will-sleep-now-and-when-you-wake dept.

Predictions Market writes "Low doses of hydrogen sulfide, the toxic gas responsible for the unpleasant odor of rotten eggs, can safely and reversibly depress both metabolism and aspects of cardiovascular function in mice, producing a suspended-animation-like state that does not depend on a reduction in body temperature and include a substantial decrease in heart rate without a drop in blood pressure. The researchers measured factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, respiration, and physical activity in normal mice exposed to low-dose (80 ppm) hydrogen sulfide for several hours. In all the mice, metabolic measurements such as consumption of oxygen and production of carbon dioxide dropped in as little as 10 minutes after they began inhaling hydrogen sulfide, remained low as long as the gas was administered, and returned to normal within 30 minutes of the resumption of a normal air supply. 'Producing a reversible hypometabolic state could allow organ function to be preserved when oxygen supply is limited, such as after a traumatic injury,' says the lead author of the study. 'We don't know yet if these results will be transferable to humans, so our next step will be to study the use of hydrogen sulfide in larger mammals.' The full report is available online."

7 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah but... by Xyde · · Score: 5, Funny

    after inhaling hydrogen sulfide for 30 minutes, trust me, you'll wish you were dead.

  2. I declare this year of the mouse! by n3tcat · · Score: 4, Funny

    We can clone mice. We can cure mice cancer. We can put them into suspended animation, allowing them to live on into future generations (meaning they will probably be the first organic space pets). Something tells me that the rats of NIMH are already in the execution phase of some higher level plans with all the work we've managed to accomplish on their genetics.

  3. Linux by MortenMW · · Score: 5, Funny

    They can suspend a mice, but making Ubuntu suspend on my laptop and work afterwards; that they can't do. It's a strange world

  4. Re:True but... by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm suddenly beginning to realize why married men live longer...

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  5. Re:Old News by Auraiken · · Score: 5, Funny

    However, a 2008 study failed to reproduce the effect in pigs, concluding that the effects seen in mice were not present in larger mammals. [9] [pccmjournal.com]

    Maybe pigs are just used to smelling bad? :D

  6. Re:thats great! by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Thats OK. Large scale software projects never have conflicting requirements.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  7. Quit getting in the way of science... by AnotherUsername · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wow, this is really new and interesting stuff. I can't quite put my finger on it, but reading it gives me the strangest sense of deja vu. Obviously, those articles were in suspended animation, and were just reawakened today. Jeesh...Don't you realize that they need experiments like this to see what will and will not work?
    --
    I don't like Linux. This doesn't make me a troll.