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.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that baby Eastern copperheads will start becoming more active as the weather becomes cooler and milder.
Plants & Animals
Sep 15, 2025
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47
Scientists have discovered that jewel wasps can slow down their biological rate of aging. Their study of jewel wasps, known for their distinctive metallic colors, has shown that they can undergo a kind of natural "time-out" ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2025
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58
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University report that they were able to successfully put tadpoles of Xenopus laevis frogs into a hibernation-like torpor state using donepezil ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 22, 2024
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106
