Hibernation is a regulated biological process in endothermic animals characterized by prolonged, seasonally induced torpor with profound reductions in metabolic rate, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory frequency to conserve energy during periods of resource scarcity, typically winter. It is controlled by neuroendocrine mechanisms integrating circannual and circadian rhythms, photoperiod, and environmental cues, and involves shifts in fuel utilization from carbohydrates to lipid oxidation, cytoprotective adaptations, and altered gene expression supporting cellular stress resistance. Hibernation includes multiday torpor bouts interspersed with spontaneous arousals, during which tissue repair, immune function, and neural homeostasis are partially restored, thereby enabling long-term survival under energetically constrained conditions.
When winter sets in and food becomes scarce, some mammals hibernate, entering a state of deep rest that slashes their energy needs and allows them to fast for months. However, fasting deprives them of essential nutrients, ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 12, 2026
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During hibernation, brown bears spend up to six months lying almost completely still, without eating, drinking or exercising. When spring arrives, they leave their dens with their muscles largely intact.
Ecology
Mar 1, 2026
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Millions of bats in North America have died from white-nose syndrome, and a new study from the University of Waterloo explores why and how the fungal disease has devastated bat populations on this continent, while it has ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2026
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The life of one of the most remote grizzly bear populations in the world is being documented by the animals themselves, with collar cameras that provide a rare glimpse of how they survive on Alaska's rugged and desolate North ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 1, 2026
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Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury—a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults. A UCLA study conducted in mice reveals an unexpected cause: Stem cells in aged muscle accumulate higher levels of a protein ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 31, 2026
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668
Whether you call him groundhog, woodchuck, whistle-pig or use the full genus and species name, Marmota monax, the nation's premier animal weather forecaster has been making headlines as Punxsutawney Phil for decades.
Plants & Animals
Jan 27, 2026
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Skeletal muscle stem cells in hibernating Syrian hamsters preserve their ability to function by suppressing their activation during the hibernation period, a research team led by Hiroshima University has shown. This insight ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 26, 2026
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During spring, when queen bumblebees first emerge from hibernation to start their nests, they work incredibly hard foraging for nectar to fuel their new colonies. But then, as soon as their first workers are born, they seem ...
Winter is hard, and for wildlife in Colorado, it's even harder. To survive, many species have developed adaptations over hundreds of thousands of years that allow them to weather the storms, including hibernation, thicker ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 31, 2025
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As the days continue to get shorter, scientists have made a significant discovery in understanding exactly what makes mammals exhibit seasonal behaviors like hibernation and migration.
Plants & Animals
Nov 17, 2025
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