Question: How can a man disappear for ten years, then mysteriously reappear only a few days older than when he left?
Answer: Well, actually, there could be a couple of answers to this question. We'll ignore time travel and faster-than-light spaceships, however; this is TEDITE SCIENCE, where we research the science behind Ted Raimi's films and television shows! So, for us, there can be only one correct answer: "He was kidnapped by aliens, fought a battle on their planet, and then was put into suspended animation before being returned to Earth ten years later." ("Brave New World," the first episode of seaQuest 2032).
Scientifically, though, just what is suspended animation and how likely is it that a human could survive the process? The first half of that question is easy: suspended animation is the slowing or stopping of an organism's life functions for a period of time, after which the organism is returned to normal health. It's the second part of the question that is, quite literally, the killer. Sorry, kids, at this point in history, there is no way to put a human "on ice" for ten years. This doesn't mean, however, that we will never find a way to create such a lasting period of suspended animation. In fact, science is currently examining a few leads that might someday fit the bill.
Nature has provided us with several examples of "suspended animation." The first is hibernation, the process by which bears and other animals survive the winter by going into a state of deep sleep. During hibernation, the animals' biological processes are slowed drastically and their body temperatures drop to within degrees of the freezing point. Their animation is quite effectively "suspended." But, you point out, humans don't hibernate. Ah, but our evolutionary ancestors did! Scientists have discovered two human genes, PL and PDK-4, which apparently govern the process of hibernation. If we can discover how to turn those genes on and off, Tim O'Neill can easily sleep those ten years away.
Before he can hibernate, however, Tim needs to overcome another problem, namely, being lost in the icy waters of Hyperion. Once again, science comes to Tim's rescue, and we come to our second example of natural suspended animation. There are documented cases of human beings surviving without breathing for over an hour. The usual scenario involves hypothermia, a sometimes fatal condition in which the body's core temperature drops below 95°F (35°C). If the hypothermia is severe, life signs can become so faint that the victim appears dead. In the case of drowning victims, however, this "near death" can actually save their lives! You see, the brain can only survive without oxygen for three to four minutes, but with these special hypothermia victims, this "window of survival" can stretch to over an hour, the slowing of their bodies' vital processes giving rescuers more time to find and resuscitate them. Surgeons have capitalized on this fact by deliberately inducing hypothermia (a procedure called hypothermy) in order to lengthen the time in which they can operate on heart patients.
Even being frozen need not be fatal. The painted turtle and the bullfrog of North America spend the winter with over half their body tissues frozen. Nature has provided these animals with sugar compounds that act like antifreeze, protecting the interior organs. Their hearts stop, as if they were dead. However, their hearts will be the first organ to "wake up" come the spring thaw, as the animals defrost from the inside out. Perhaps someday, our scientists will discover a way for humans to use the same kinds of natural antifreeze, allowing us to be frozen and defrosted just like TV dinners!
So hang in there, Tedites; you might not be able to go into suspended animation now, but we're working on it. And once we lick suspended animation, can star flight be far behind? Those Hyperions had better look out for a bunch of angry seaQuest fans!
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Unless otherwise noted, all text, art, code or other content ©1999-2006 Carolyn M. Wallace.
