According to the Washington Post, researchers in Alaska have completed the most extensive study of hibernating black bears in their natural setting to date, and they found some surprising details that may give medicine some new tools to treat human illness and injury. The researchers presented their findings today, Feb. 17, at Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington D.C., and among the new data are clues about how the bears enter and emerge from hibernation, and how during it they draw down fat reserves, regulate body temperature, re-metabolize wastes and retain musculature despite months of inactivity. Read much, much more, and watch a clip from one of the "Big Brother" den cams (turn on the sound to hear an awesome snore), here.
Incidentally, Alaska Beat doesn't know if there was some kind of misunderstanding or not, but we were kind of surprised to read one researcher express surprise that bears take a few weeks to revive from their winter slumber. We could've sworn that was well known. Maybe his surprise came from the fact that thanks to the study, science now knows just how groggy the bears are when the emerge?