Could Humans Someday Hibernate?

By Steve Murphy, NewsRadio 830 WCCO

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Bears hibernate in winter so why can't humans? Professor Lester Drewes of the University of Minnesota-Duluth thinks it could happen -- someday.

"I think it's possible because we have a very similar genome to many of these different mammals, therefore creating this phenomenon of hibernation," he said.

Drewes, who works with squirrels and gophers, said hibernation in humans could help extend lives through a medical crisis or preserve organs for transplantation.

But Drewes said human hibernation is decades away.

The Minnesota research is the subject of this week's episode of "NOVA" on public television.