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Showing results for tags 'naked mole rats'.
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"We Finally Know How Naked Mole Rats Survive Without Oxygen, and It's Really Freaking Weird." tl;dr: They can switch to a fructose metabolism in low-oxygen environments. They can't sustain high-energy activity when doing so, and they effectively enter a state of hibernation. But their brains and hearts can survive up to 18 minutes without oxygen, and longer if there's some oxygen, even if CO2 levels are what we'd consider to be dangerously high. 1) We may be able to add this metabolic option to humans, which would allow hibernation for long-term space travel, as well as enhanced survivability in a hypoxic environment. 2) I've long conjectured that Kerbals were somewhere between plant and animal, and that's how they survive spaceflight indefinitely without any obvious life support. I feel so vindicated today.
