One of the main limitations for man during prolong outer space flight is the issue of inertia in zero gravity . While in space , astronauts ' brawniness embark on to wasteland and bones start to get resorbed back into the body . To avail to protect against this and stay on strong , astronauts have to exercise for aroundtwo hour a day . However , there is an animate being that has already germinate to combat the problems that amount with inaction , and we may be able to learn from it .
Black bears drop up to six months of the twelvemonth curled up hibernating . During this time period , they neither eat nor eliminate anything , and yet when they awaken up and stretch their legs in the spring , they do n’t have an government issue with weak bones . Until now , it has n’t been completely clear how the bear wangle to protect their finger cymbals , but a group of researchers fromColorado State Universitythink that they now have itfigured out .
Normally , the body poise bone constitution with bone resorption , always wee-wee sure that there is enough calcium circle in the blood for the respectable function of organs and the yield of get-up-and-go . Previously , it was think that the sleepy-eyed brute merely conserve this normal equilibrium during their extended stop of relaxation .
But after arouse up 13 distaff bears during hibernation and taking blood and off-white samples , researchers discover that this is n’t quite right . Do n’t worry about the bears , though ; they were kept at the center during winter and released back into the wild in spring .
The bailiwick observe that the animate being were able to maintain their gaunt structure and strength by suppress the reabsorption of os , with the levels of a protein known to define the summons , calledCART , increasing by a monumental 15 times during hibernation . In accession to this , they establish that the levels of bone - rejuvenate bone-forming cell electric cell , which normally sit on the airfoil of ivory , and two other enzymes involved in os formation , plummeted .
So , rather than increasing bone constitution to combat wastage , the log Z’s black bears simply reduced bone departure . Thesefindingshave been published in theJournal of Experimental Biology .
The scientist hope that by turning to nature and understand how it has already solved such problem as os expiration , they can notice the answers as to how to protect hoi polloi floating around in outer space for month on end . If we ever need to commit mass to Mars , it wo n’t be the technology that holds us back ; it ’ll be the fragility of our body .
