American geneticists from Washington State University studied how the metabolism and circadian rhythms of bears work during the months of hibernation. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Journal of Comparative Physiology B (JCPB).
Circadian rhythms are the characteristic daily physical cycles of most living things on Earth. They are related to metabolism. People who severely disrupt these patterns (such as working a night shift) experience a variety of metabolic problems, including weight gain and a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Scientists decided to find out how the body of bears adapts to a lifestyle in which the animal spends the cold season sleeping, without suffering from diabetes and bone loss; that would inevitably overtake a human if he decided to live like a bear.
To simulate bear hibernation, the researchers examined the animal’s cells at a cold temperature of about 34°C during hibernation (slow life activity) and 37°C during the active season. They discovered that thousands of genes operate by maintaining the natural energy rhythm in dormant tissues. This means that even when an animal goes into hibernation, its body continues to work in accordance with circadian cycles, producing more energy throughout the day, albeit at a slower rate.
It takes some energy to maintain your circadian rhythm. Researchers believe that by altering this rhythm during hibernation, bears can obtain some of the energy they get from the circadian cycle without much cost, possibly helping them survive without food for months.
“It’s like adjusting the thermostat. If you want to save some energy, you turn off the thermostat, and that’s essentially what the bears do. They use the ability to suppress the circadian rhythm, but they do not stop their biological clock. This is truly a new way of fine-tuning an animal’s metabolic process and energy consumption,” said Professor Heiko Jansen, lead author of the study.
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