Scientists Discuss How to Hibernate for Space Travel

[@StarTalk]

If we could induce hibernation in humans for long space journeys, what do you think would be the biggest challenge: preventing muscle atrophy, managing waste, or safely waking up after months of torpor?

[@isatousarr7044]

Inducing hibernation in humans for long space journeys presents major challenges, particularly managing muscle atrophy. Reduced muscle use during hibernation can lead to significant loss of muscle mass. While some animals have adaptations to mitigate this, applying such mechanisms to humans would necessitate advanced therapies or rehabilitation upon waking. Waste management is another challenge, as the body's metabolism needs careful control to limit waste in a closed environment, possibly requiring innovative recycling solutions. Safely waking after months of hibernation is crucial, necessitating a smooth transition back to activity without negative effects, including preserving cognitive function and reorientation. Among these issues, muscle atrophy is the most critical, directly affecting readiness for tasks after waking and upon arrival at the destination. Addressing this is essential for the success and safety of long-duration space missions.

[@rogerwilco1777]

Just have Elon build us Robot Bodies that we can swap our brains into at a whim.. Easy Peasy

[@izbr661]

Roger this won't work, alternatively hibernation is like some of the medical situations on earth in some ways and in others not and is more realistic with the least expected risks. There's signal drift drift between the control and the receiver then there's interference from noise and a host of other things sought in the patients a nightmares or intrusive thoughts, yes there's a repressive code hot fix for it, but it doesn't deal with the correct choices by biology

[@T3EKAY0H]

Okay so my question is...... If all the planets are light years away and nothing can move faster than the speed of light.... Then how do these telescopes / satellites send and receive messages in such short periods of time..... That's unless I'm mistaken.. do like the satellites. Extend the range therefore increasing the rate at which the signals are received?.... And in the case of space travel, would it take years to get signals back from the crew on the spacecraft back to mission control on Earth?

[@theunknownunknowns256]

Reference Dr Herman Pontzer. Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University. Studies say something like this. Exercise doesn't burn more calories. Over time, you'll burn the same as no exercise. Your body works in the background to slow calorie burn for evolutionary purposes. I'm thinking this sounds a lot like what Ryan describes as torpor.

[@bemquerer]

The change of Chuck's knowledge and scientific vision is one of the most inspiring changes I've seen. As a science nerd, I hope this has inspired many others to dive deeper into the understanding of everything. From forced jokes, sometimes at the wrong time, to funny comments and even observations that left NGT speechless. Yeah, Science!

[@torakunsama]

Not only, that, the enthousiasm I see when the questions are asked and answered - clearly visible in his face - along with the comic creativity, is quite refreshing.

[@araikb]

Chuck is the only reason i can make sense of most of the stuff

[@tens0r884]

Chuck evolving like Jesse Pinkman

[@crazypiiano]

Ryan is so good at explaining things, being super friendly and just an overall great guest!! Super interesting topic as well! Thank you for this episode!

[@HisameArtwork]

yeah, I want updates from him next year, how's the rat hibernation program going.

[@danield416]

Ryan needs his own YT channel😉

[@gdroege44]

Hummingbirds are a good example of using torpor on a daily basis yet they can fly across the Gulf of Mexico in a single flight. They have an extreme physiology in such a tiny body.

[@fluffysharkdatazz9460]

And here I am lucky if I can make the 20 minute walk to the bus station 😭

[@jordanharpo]

WOW!

[@HisameArtwork]

@@fluffysharkdatazz9460 I have the flu and no food in the house, for the past week I ordered food. I feel that, I need to go out today and buy some water, chicken and potatoes. wish me luck.

[@nicolaslizardo4418]

Actually 🤓👆

[@mixmastermootree]

Birds aren't real 😊

[@TheGiggleMasterP]

Can i volunteer to increase my body weight by 100% and then take a 5 month nap?

[@isaackitone]

Me too. Please.

[@bobbylee7801]

Start a boilermakers apprenticeship.

[@momszycat4148]

Sign me up!😃

[@UncensoredCowboy]

I got plenty of body mass can I just go to sleep for 5 months?

[@tuhin1264]

I am as useless as if i m in hibernation 😂

[@astrocoastalprocessor]

grumpy bears in space sounds like a great children's book title to go along with this conversation

[@herrsygma]

Dr. Tyson almost went into hibernation during this episode!

[@bgee5098]

He always appears to be out of it..?

[@bhaz4012]

Neil and Chuck are the perfect combination for this show.

[@frogz]

chuck is the perfect cohost and im always sad when he isnt on, gary is pretty good too and always puts WAY more research into the topic than either neil or chuck

[@knightwalkr]

I much prefer chuck over that first guy they had. He kept talking over everyone

[@TheZeemlap]

Like to hear him talk but like this episode way to much forced jokes for me

[@dannicatzer305]

lol

[@adrianonhilton]

Australian Plants bounce back from fires amazingly fast as soon as there is a period of rain. Nearly as fast as Deciduous trees sprout in spring. Many actually need fire to open seed pods and the seeds are spread floating in the updrafts from the fire. I believe I read once that some native grass even emit a flammable gas during fires so the air above them burns, leaving an inch un-burnt above the ground.

[@VeeKayGreenerGrass]

It's also from the nutrition from the ash. Potassium etc.

[@RoiHolden]

Loved this guest. Bring him back some day.

[@jameslaporta8689]

10-15 years for some level of human torpor is insane. Wow

[@shadowskill111]

It seems like unlocking the ability to burn fat instead of muscle would be enough to make your company filthy rich.

[@tamarausher60]

Gym- sauna- pool- gym..

[@ElizabethBryant-d2u]

Really fascinating and yet a very practical problem with space travel. Please return to Sprenger every year or so for an update,

[@Skanking-Corpse]

Here's a question that I don't think was asked what effect does hibernation have on aging? Is aging exactly the same or is it slowed when in hibernation?

[@coby_jayy]

I'd imagine you age normally or perhaps the tiniest bit faster because the body is at a constant standstill, unless you figure out cryosleep.

[@VIEW8472]

You are thinking of what they did to Walt Disney freeze the head.

[@jhe9521]

if truly similar to sleep, cells will still regenerate, but reduced oxidisation could mean we'd age at slower rate

[@ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience]

*We love Neil! We love Chuck! We love Gary! We love star talk!!!* *-The Universe. ❤️‍🔥💯*

[@Mr_Kyle_]

GREAT show! And you guys need to have on Jason Fung, Nephrologist, author of The Obesity Code and the Cancer Code! He's been helping people reverse Type II Diabetes for years using extended fasting (which is a metabolic disease, and is very related to this hibernation topic). And basically there's been great advancement in the health benefits of fasting, esp longer term fasting: past about 3 days Autophagy kicks in high gear which recycles proteins (damaged proteins and even cancer cells), Human Growth Hormone gets upregulated to spare muscle from being greatly diminished, Ketosis kicks in high which is the fuel source from burning the adipose tissue, and other metabolic functions... It seems like torpor is maybe an epigenetic adaptation related in some way to long periods of fasting (and interestingly seems to need to be proceeded by a period of massive feasting, like the squirrel example putting on 250% body mass before hibernation/torpor/prolonged fasting

[@Daruk815]

Looks like Neil was hibernating throughout the conversation 😂

[@charlesdavis8725]

Yea he seemed not interested in that at all…

[@agrownupkid]

Yeah he was struggling. LOL! But I think it was just because he's a busy guy. I've been that way in meetings. This seemed like a very interesting topic though. One that will become a key factor in space travel in a few years.

[@jool5941]

He wanted to talk about his tweets

[@abnurtharn2927]

Perhaps they are all in different timezones?

[@mitchellslaughter-q9v]

Back Woods Hick. Retired Merchant Marine. Love your show. As a Sailor I read a lot. now that i'm on tera firma i'm trying to keep learning. As a sailor we used stars and the the sun for navigation. EVEN in this age of TECH. LOSE IT you better HAVE A BACK UP!

[@dosesandmimoses]

I condone redundancy in your example.. and I think about it often for nauts.. great point!

[@mitchellslaughter-q9v]

@@dosesandmimoses I love your big words but a lot of followers would be lost without a dictionary.

[@mitchellslaughter-q9v]

Even if they knew what one was.

[@DannisCole]

I was hoping they'd say something about airline stowaways and the 1 in 5 who survive flights in the wheel well. One article said it's a hibernation-like state for some, but not true hibernation. This is a fascinating episode and great discussion. I'd love to volunteer for a study!

[@HenningMogensen-fx3mw]

So many unansered questions have com out of this startalk. Many days of pondering. Thankyou.

[@stargazer8718]

Great episode! Really nice to hear when something that seems unrelated to you actually is impacting you all the time. Many thanks for all the insights!

[@craigtevis1241]

Can't we just train the bears to go into space for us? 😊

[@gsuryait]

Lol😂😂😂. To do what?

[@frogz]

........this sounds very russian, can we include a bottle of vodka for the spacebears? ;)

[@BabySagan]

@@frogz I mean, we did chimps before, right?

[@QABRsean]

They become Wookies in one parsec

[@MagicToenail]

I get the joke you are trying to make but bears aren't true hibernators lol 😂

[@ReverseFlash23]

Dropping from a BMR of 2000 down to the 10’s is wild

[@imbdb]

I like the way Hibernation is depicted in Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, that is (in my opinion) the best depiction of Hibernation.

[@Mitchel6489]

I'm already increased my body weight by 100%, so im halfway there. I'll volunteer for a 5 month sleep.

[@alanhcohenmd]

Ryan - great job explaining an often misunderstood field of science ! Bravo. Way to represent….

[@Carbonblak]

The top minds of science and discovery . A fun episode . Really gets my imagination going about the possibility of deep space travel. The 60's got the moon landing , I would love a new space race , it strikes me as so unifying when we take on goals like that . I would never care which nation achieved it so long as we did . I have a high opinion of our species ability to conquer the unconquerable. Like Everest . I see mars as the new Everest . I'm dying to see a new moon landing. It seems when we study these things we find new things either way. Great brain food and inspiration. I remember watching Apollo 13 and what they had to do to survive to get home that's one of the many examples of what we can do .

[@sgtButleronPC]

A few years ago I read a story about someone who fell inside of a cave and broke their leg and couldn't get out. Apparently they survived far longer than they should have without food or water. The person lost a lot of weight but recovered completely. It sounded like a perfect storm of variables like temperature, moisture levels, and etc. that resulted in a type of torpor. They had no idea how long they were there as I recall. Of course it may not have been true or it could have been greatly exaggerated.

[@Al-cynic]

Just a technical note, ROS have an 'exposed' oxygen ion, they do not react with oxygen, instead they are a molecule or even atom (singlet oxygen) with a reactive oxygen ion. Also fat is stored water 100 g fat will generate about 110 g water if all the fat is metabolized.

[@BrianNovak-gk5rb]

Thank you for letting this man talk. Very professional and respectful. Impressive.

[@McFamily25]

Honestly I can't stop thinking about the medical benefits, if we can keep patients on transplant lists in torpor or surgery where the heart beats and moves blood slowly, that could be so huge for medicine!

[@BrickTamlandOfficial]

humans will always need someone to check for bed sores and adjust patients every day. our bodies were not meant for hibernation.

[@francisschweitzer8431]

That would be true in a One G environment but in a Zero G state… you won’t get sores The sores are caused by several things but basically it’s is a localized area of bacteria and perspiration that feeds the bacteria

[@BrickTamlandOfficial]

@@francisschweitzer8431 you wouldnt be floating around, you would be buckled to a bed and thats enough pressure to cause sores over extended periods of time. unless human hibernation involved moving around from time to time. if that was the case it would be fine.

[@johnkim6447]

We do a form of this in medicine when we induce hypothermia in post heart attack patients to lower their metabolic rate. Also done for certain injuries where we induce medical coma.

[@adr2t]

@@BrickTamlandOfficial The pressure alone isnt what cause the bed scores though and while true you would be buckled in, there wouldnt be near the pressure you think there would be. Gravity puts a lot of pressure on our bodies, but because space lilly has none - you wouldnt have any of those affects going on. On top of that, bacteria also wouldnt for say exist either as they too would have to fight the harsh environment. Not saying bed sores still couldnt exist, but the % of getting them would be pretty much zero out. Let alone, you could put a thin film of "something" between the bed and the user to also bring that down to zero.

[@HannahHoffmanMusic]

I could mistake Chuck for a scientist with his questions! So thoughtful and well-informed.

[@serroche]

I'm Spanish, we've been doing 'micro hibernations' daily for centuries. Also known as 'siesta'. It's a matter of survival, go try to work at 3pm with +35ºC outside and you'll understand.

[@TheMonkeydood]

It's not really hibernation but I get your point! I often have an afternoon nap.

[@HkFinn83]

Yeh that’s called a nap

[@Thomas-yc2vu]

I have to say, this has to be one of the most interesting podcasts i've ever listened to. I am kinda regretting not choosing this to learn in college

[@roliomurao14]

Nagaland, India. Big fan, Dr. Tyson

[@Ben-xj9ps]

I always love when Gary is on. He always preps very good questions.

[@bluewaterdiggers5970]

Thanks for another awesome and interesting video!

[@ValeryKondor]

This was so fun and interesting to watch and listen to! Thanks for expanding our horizon of knowledge!

[@robshaw2639]

Only half way through the video but wondering if the topic of human ketosis will come up

[@Milan_Openfeint]

They did say that humans take energy from proteins and sugar first, while hibernating species use fat first. But seriously, why don't you just finish a video before commenting. It's not like you'll be the first to comment or something.

[@gipadonimus]

I know I still shouldn't give the squirrels in my yard too much peanut butter in general, but this make me feel better for spoiling them a little bit sometimes with two scoops lol

[@kalkat02]

Love you three! Hibernation is so interesting! And thank you Ryan Sprenger ❤

[@Times_Ticking]

Excellent discussion! Yes, very good idea.

[@jamesrose1641]

I love you guys. I love you, Neil deGrasse Tyson. You bring so much thought somebody that like me is yearning for that, where there is a world of KZbin that requires no thought process whatsoever. Chuck, nice. You're a staple to the program. And for most people that think that you're just a comedian. That's not truly correct. You're a scientist as well and you're smart and you bring thought to the process as well. Thank you guys both of you.I love this program

[@thatcandont]

Dude i wish i could hibernate for like 600 years

[@davidbeppler3032]

If you went into torpor in 1965 and woke up today, it would have felt like 600 years.

[@Ones2Cents]

This is giving me the Black Mirror Vibes, where Half of the world Sleeps while the Other half Lives a normal life for a time, and then they switch spots. Very intriguing and thought provoking either way. Really enjoyed this video!

[@vulcanfeline]

sorry, you are just not allowed to forget david attenborough's name

[@danielvermeer3363]

You mean Jesus Attenbrough 😂😂😂😂

[@vulcanfeline]

@@danielvermeer3363 NO i don't

[@gagehammerle9743]

I absolutely adore the intelligent properties this brings, as well as the questions that can indulge many different types of people, atmospheres, or simple enjoyment of films they have seen. I don't claim to be intelligent myself by no means necessary just an simple minded observer that has he own interests that this channel continously satisfies.

[@ashutoshpawar4550]

OH THIS EPISODE IS GONNA BE BUSSIN! IMA PURSUE MY DEGREE IN PHYSICSS!!!!

[@LeeNotSa]

This is one of the most fascinating episodes ever. Thanks for sharing!

[@BWETeslaTimeTravels]

Chuck,Chuck, !!!! ❤

[@JolynBowler]

Thank you, gentlemen. An excellent conversation. Fascinating what humanity's future may hold. I are intrigued 10 hear of Fauna Bio and Eli Lilly's collaboration on meds for obesity. I started on Mournjaro to help with Diabetes in January. my A1C is now at 5.1 and I have last 42 Lbs. Ihope you are able to develop more safe drugs to help us all. 💙🌻💙

[@naumankhawaja]

Dr. Tyson feeling incredibly sleepy throughout! Let him hibernate!

[@ronaldopascua8221]

What are it's effect on the brain and memory. Will you remember everything prior to hibernation like it was just you slept at night?

[@nedkent5239]

Ever think that humans are meant to hibernate? My love for naps says yes!

[@XAirForcedotcom]

What worked for me and should be used for hibernation is to make an audiobook of management techniques and communications, which was at the front of the Air Force PFE, which we had to know to get promoted, and always put me to sleep : )

[@GabrielFlaten]

i was in a coma for 3 weeks. i lost 60lbs in muscle mass being a veggie. it sucked. if you want to ask me more questions have at it hoss.

[@graysonpendegraft752]

Do you recall ANYTHING? Or was it like going to sleep and waking up?

[@barfy4751]

Did it come back?

[@TimmyGust]

I think he's back in a coma

[@GabrielFlaten]

@@barfy4751 did what come back?

[@GabrielFlaten]

@@TimmyGust how exactly?

[@savetheplantet5799]

Awesome ep guys thank you to our guest again. Man ... I'm gonna go to sleep tonight thinking about this one! I wonder the mind games the animals play in prep for hibernation. I believe animal in the wild is capable of much better decision making in the sense that it's less distracted and has a clearer understanding of what it is they must do. So deep thought/meditation etc will be key in this endeavor... Alot of research and alot of pondering to do there

[@jessejamez5985]

Electrical stimulation of a muscle from a TENS unit type device will not add muscle.

[@robertramsey4079]

Really I put a tens device on my balls and now there huge, super muscular

[@robertpalmer7444]

One Question that kept me awake after watching this (and this episode made me a patron by the way), is how is aging affected in these species that experience torpor?

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

You'd want a longer journey than to Mars to risk it.... :) Also, hibernation wouldn't protect you from cosmic rays on its own, so you either need meters of low-density radiation shielding or a nice fast ship. Not much point in cryosleep/hibernation on a fast ship and short journey, but maybe an option for big interstellar ships one day. Efficient propellantless thrusters are the key to cracking crewed space travel!

[@JayWest14]

Another awesome episode!! What I didn’t hear anyone touch on was what does brain activity in torpor look like and what the effects are on neurological tissue and do hibernating animals lose cognitive functions due to the lack of brain activity??

[@TheJesterOAO]

There's a sci-fi idea. Forced hibernation used insted of prison sentence. Preservation of resources and kess upkeep if prisons in general.

[@tonib5899]

If prisoners are asleep for the full sentence what’s the deterrent effect and rehabilitation period. Which is what makes up any sentence. First the deterrence then the rehabilitation period. If they are just sleeping they are not really doing the sentence at all. A 3 year for example sentence includes 18 month deterrent and 18 month rehabilitation period. They need rehabilitation or will not only reoffend but the seriousness of the offences also increase. I studied both Criminal Justice and Social Policy. The prisoner needs to know and take part in both the punishment and attempted rehabilitation. I say attempted because not all prisoners will take part in rehabilitation. Only punishment then works. The sentence, remand period is also used to protect the public from the worst or constant offenders. I live in a country that has no death penalty. We give out life terms to the worst. Some are so serious and dangerous they can never be released. I would use your method on lifers who take part fully in their rehabilitation. Take part in rehabilitation and earn periods of hibernation. It would benefit both the prisoner and the prison and justice system. It could work but needs a lot of research and technology to get there. Interesting though. Have a good day.

[@JanetFayard]

Interesting topics. My mind went immediately to the film Pitch Black with Vin Diesel and then immediately jumped to Superman when they put General Zod and his cronies in the Phantom Zone

[@JanetFayard]

Both of the topics above have validity

[@rosedawg7895]

I don’t know how I came across this but I absolutely enjoyed listening to this.

[@apocbible]

Fascinating discussion

[@francisschweitzer8431]

Incredibly informative session. What is they use whatever a narcoleptic goes thru to induce hibernation in a human ???

[@thomasschodt7691]

"No reason why hibernating species are more resistent to radiation" Well, that would be natural selection 101...

[@timtruett5184]

Without a selective pressure, there can be no natural selection. Animals in the wild are not exposed to extreme levels of gamma rays. If there is some sort of association between torpor and radiation resistance, there could be some unexpected connection between the two, and that's what is interesting.

[@domdela5217]

Very fascinating topic that I knew very little about. Thanks for the info! And another bonus for saving species from extinction.

[@BringYourBestOne]

I’ll do a push up for every like 👍

[@SobeCrunkMonster]

basic person

[@TheRazorman89]

I dislike this

[@frogz]

good luck, those 2 pushups will take alot of effort

[@StarTalk]

c'mon StarTalk community! like this!

[@frogz]

@@StarTalk we're nerds, we only exercise when we have to, also i think this MAY be a bot but if it is, it's comment is generic enough that it doesnt trigger any flags, new channel with no videos and 9 subs, it's either a person who just got a youtube account or a bot that is going around leaving comments to boost....some kinda metric that makes it valuable to resell or something?

[@gregf9160]

Hibernating bears, I know to experience, can still be aware of what's going on around them, and _really aren't happy_ when they get disturbed

[@Scar-o8z]

I came to the Lord asking for his blessings as a single mom because raising my son (Joel) was an act of courage despite all the challenges. And the Lord answered my prayers with a benefiting income of $31,000 every month. To God be the glory. Joel is in school and life's been fair lately.

[@HenryPeters-s6o]

Excuse me for real?, how is that possible I have struggling financially, how was that possible?

[@Eli-l1z]

I'm inspired. Please spill some sugar about the biweekly stuff you mentioned

[@Scar-o8z]

I raised 75k and Kate Elizabeth Becherer is to be thanked. I got my self my dream car 🚗 just last weekend, My journey with her started after my best friend came back from New York and saw me suffering in dept then told me about her and how to change my life through her.Kate Elizabeth Becherer is the kind of person one needs in his or her life! I got a home, a good wife, and a beautiful daughter. Note: this is not a promotion but me trying to make a point that no matter what happens, always have faith and keep living!

[@JamesLucas-l6s]

This is a definition of God's unending provisions for his people. God remains faithful to his words. 🙏 I receive this for my household

[@Francisca-b1x]

WOW🙄🤯😳 Ms kate Elizabeth becherer is the real deal if you're a New Yorker you'd know her too!!!!!!!

[@nicokaarnavaara132]

Very interesting and exciting topic. Great guest and episode!! Hope to see him again in the show.

[@SylviaDragon]

damn the fauna bio logo on his shirt is so well designed. really smart.

[@mattr7274]

I need to be a regular viewer of such interesting content. I’ve only been an occasional viewer. Excellent topic and information.

[@shakesrear7850]

I know Neil does not emphasise "fandom" or parasocialism but from this thought dealer, I love to get my little dose of wonder. The preparation for such a trip would have deep ramifications for coma patients, for human sleep and concentration.

[@CalidrisJZ]

Summertime torpor is called aestivation (a word I learned in high school biology many years ago) and not hibernation.

[@kevinlucas8437]

This is such a fascinating topic !!! It's crazy how we always get so much information from nature.

[@jeffs6090]

One way to stave off food consumption and therefore need to bring less food is to have all the astronauts on Mounjaro or similar drug. Then they can eat the small amounts of daily protein and vitamin needs without feeling hungry. These drugs have an appetite suppressant which can be very helpful as well.

[@marianagyorgyfalvi3659]

Muscles do not atrophy during sleep, the stiffness of movements and the brain does, everything relaxes in sleep!

[@kevinallen1761]

A fascinating video. Thank you

[@chadh.6124]

Neil is the best, can we chill on the spotify ads tho, i pay for premium and I'm still get solicited to learn spanish with babble or whatever it is

[@stevecarpenter9991]

This was one of the most interesting and fascinating episodes ever for me. Great questions and a fountain of information flowing here.

[@Lucky32Luke]

I think Neil almost went into hybernation a few times during the show. 😉Chuck's questions were right on target I felt like he spoke my thoughts out loud. Surely one of the most fascinating topics on a long list of specials.

[@chrisandrew7577]

I am SO ready for manned mars missions! Science fiction come to life!

[@dm45lm]

I think for that long of a trip we need to be able to simulate gravity, which should also help with getting hibernation to work on the trip to Mars. I thought we could simply do it by accelerating the spacecraft for half the trip, doing a flip maneuver, then decelerating for the last half of the trip.

[@Tense]

I am actually disappointed they didn't talk about the effect of aging on natural hibernators. If you "disable" the ability of a natural hibernator from using torpor do they age faster? If we induce torpor in humans will they age slower?

[@JoeyBlogs007]

Deer eat grass which exists all year around. Bears eat seasonal berries and other fruit & vegetables, so hybernation makes sense.

[@JanetFayard]

I'd go see a Pixar film about animals from outer space showing up here too " Hey Stitch!" Great video you guys. Had no idea that creatures could hibernate in the heat too.! Fascinating ...may our species be successful in it's endeavours!

[@BabySagan]

New Patreon here. Glad to be a part of the star family.

[@alfredosalgado4174]

@24:50 Dr. T - "I need 2,200 to 2,400 Calories a day..." Chuck - "Nah... C'mon Man..." Dr. T - "Yeah... for me." Chuck - "You're TOO BIG to be LIVING on 2,000 calories...Get OUT OF HERE..." Dr. T - "I didn't SAY 2,000, I said 2,200-2,400.... around there." Chuck - "Alright... If you say so... if that makes you (COUGH COUGH) COMFORTABLE." The most I've laughed since the COVID pandemic

[@kseyffert]

The weight question, correct, the weights would not weigh anything but they do still have the same mass. You would not be pulling them against gravity but accelerating and decelerating them.

[@theguitbox09]

What would human the experience of torpor look like on a consciousness level if you said it’s not really sleep? Like does that mean there’s no dreaming? is it like a coma? Is there just zero activity going so you experience zero passage of time?

[@neilgraham8020]

Torpor might also be very useful in medicine, by slowing down things like cancer growth until it can be affectively be treated.

[@RichardMorton73]

Fascinating conversation, so interesting to know what's going on in attempting to solve the issues of deep space travel and how other creatures on our own planet could be the key, as with so many other issues

[@survidmt]

The food rations for winter/cold survival for a human even with cold weather clothing requires around double the amount of calories. Not just to keep body heat up but work load is usually greater compared to warmer weather from the conditions, snow, mud, etc.

[@sandal_thong8631]

I like watching space movies, so went to see _Slingshot_ recently. Three astronauts are on a mission to Saturn's moon Titan but the trip is so long they have to go into multiple hibernation cycles. When they come out of one cycle before they do a slingshot around Jupiter, they find there's been some kind of impact with the spacecraft that didn't show on their sensors, they've lost contact with Earth and at least one of them is suffering from paranoia and delusions. Instead of solving these problems they go back into hibernation, and next time they're even more prone to paranoia, delusions and hallucinations, but decide two-to-one to continue the mission instead of doing a slingshot back to Earth. Then the filmmakers clearly didn't know how to create a satisfactory ending for the third act. We don't see them solve the communication problem, the sensor problem or the psychological problem. And we don't see whether the mission succeeds or fails. 👎It's like a bad _Outer Limits_ episode expanded to 1 hour, 48 minutes. Same is true of the movie _I.S.S._ which I saw in January this year.

[@hayisari8]

Is dreaming while hibernating happens? Would that use extra amount of calories?

[@kujansu]

2 Questions, What do Hibernators do about Waste ? Also how low does the Blood o2 level go ?

[@bakerbob533]

I'm left with a question and a thought. As a thought, Being that all muscles are basicly shut down, wouldn't that make them harder to burn as fuel then the passive adipose tissue since the body would need to wake up muscles cell to burn them (note that I don't know anything about hibernation beside "don't wake up the bear")? As a question, how would hibernation affect human longevity if it affects it?

[@wildzach]

Insects such as butterflies and moths have alcohols like sorbitol and glycerol in their blood that acts as natural anti-freezes, allowing them to be frozen (in whichever stage that is appropriate for the species, whether it’s adult, pupa, larva or egg).

[@seanshaver8719]

Instead of astronauts using resistance training, could weight be added to the suits to make normal movement more strenuous? Could water be pumped in when needed, and back out when not needed? Also, Isn't water a good insulation against cosmic radiation? A twofer maybe.