Science has made like Cool James at right and knocked some squirrels out (squirrel-punching being a little known hobby of LL Cool J). Only they did it with chemicals instead of a boxing glove.
The squirrels in question were arctic ground squirrels, who tend to hibernate in winter because what else is there to do? Hibernation is pretty advantageous: you use way less oxygen, your metabolism slows down, and it lets you survive in conditions that would punch most people’s tickets. The squirrels have a natural way of flooding their system with adenosine, which all animals have and makes you feel sleepy. The squirrels basically ODed on it and passed out.
So, researchers at the University of Alaska created both a synthetic version of adenosine, and a synthetic version of caffeine, which interferes with adenosine receptors. And, guess what? They could put squirrels into hibernation, or take them out of it, largely at will.
There are still kinks to work out: the season apparently plays a role. But this is a pretty big deal: it’d remove a major problem with space travel, among other things.
Also, it’s fun to mess with squirrels.
[ via the nut hunters at Popular Science ]