African lungfish, Protopterus annectens, can live in suspended animation, called aestivation, without food and water for three to five years. They wake up when water becomes available.
During suspended animation, animals are inactive for an extended period—they take in no food or water and make no urine or waste. They enter a state of torpor, slowing down the biological time in relation to the clock time.
Suspended animation has long fascinated scientists because of its great application potentials in fields ranging from medicine to space travel.
If suspended animation were possible in humans, surgeons would have more time to operate on patients during critical moments when blood circulation stops, and the dream of long-distance space travel could be realized.
Researchers led by Professor Ip Yuen Kwong from the biological sciences department at the National University of Singapore compared the differential gene expression in the liver of P. annectens after six months of suspended animation to a freshwater control. They also compared one day of arousal from six months of suspended animation to six months in that state.
The scientists discovered suspended animation among African lungfish in arid conditions at high temperature involves the up- and down-regulation of diverse cellular activities.
The results point to the importance of sustaining a low rate of waste production and conservation of energy storage during the maintenance phase, and the dependence on internal energy store for repair and structural modification during the arousal phase.
Source: http://www.science.nus.edu.sg/research-highlights/1330-suspended-animation-in-african-lungfish
This little chap in the video is called Baby and he’s a pet rat visibly living his best life! As you can see he just got offered a huge pile of cooked spaghetti and he seems quite content, just chilling in his owner’s lap, stuffing his little face with pasta.
If you have some free time and extra creativity try these DIY tips in the video for your school supplies! You’ll surely stand out of the crowd with a beautifully handcrafted notebook and other uniquely designed school things! The girl in the video has really cool ideas and makes beautiful things!
Each year in Alaska’s McNeil River State Game Sanctuary between June and August many brown bears appear to fish for salmon. People find this fascinating so some are granted access to the park to observe the wild animals.
1. The height of the Eiffel tower varies by as much as 6 inches depending on the temperature.
You can find great tips on Andreaschoice Youtube channel and this tutorial is absolutely great. It shows how simple it actually is to make a beanie out of, well, anything.