Post by robeiae on Apr 20, 2017 13:24:06 GMT -5
www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/04/20/524511231/researchers-find-yet-another-reason-why-naked-mole-rats-are-just-weird
To start out, he and his colleagues tested how well the mole-rats fared in a chamber with only 5 percent oxygen, which is about a quarter of the oxygen in the air we breathe, and can kill a mouse in less than 15 minutes.
They watched closely, ready to pull the mole-rats out at the first sign of trouble.
"So we put them in the chamber and after five minutes, nothing. No problems," Park says. An hour later, there were still no problems.
Five hours later, the researchers were tired and hungry and ready to go home, but the mole-rats could've kept chugging along.
"Oh, I think so," says Park. "They had more stamina than the researchers."
The animals had slowed down a bit, he says, but were awake, walking around and even socializing.
"They looked completely fine," he says.
Next, the researchers decided to see how the mole-rats dealt with zero percent oxygen.
"And that was a surprise, too," he says.
Such conditions can kill a mouse in 45 seconds.
The four mole-rats involved in this leg of the study passed out after about 30 seconds, but their hearts kept beating and — a full 18 minutes later — the mole-rats woke up and resumed life as usual when they were re-exposed to normal air. (The three mole-rats that were exposed for 30 minutes, however, died.)
They watched closely, ready to pull the mole-rats out at the first sign of trouble.
"So we put them in the chamber and after five minutes, nothing. No problems," Park says. An hour later, there were still no problems.
Five hours later, the researchers were tired and hungry and ready to go home, but the mole-rats could've kept chugging along.
"Oh, I think so," says Park. "They had more stamina than the researchers."
The animals had slowed down a bit, he says, but were awake, walking around and even socializing.
"They looked completely fine," he says.
Next, the researchers decided to see how the mole-rats dealt with zero percent oxygen.
"And that was a surprise, too," he says.
Such conditions can kill a mouse in 45 seconds.
The four mole-rats involved in this leg of the study passed out after about 30 seconds, but their hearts kept beating and — a full 18 minutes later — the mole-rats woke up and resumed life as usual when they were re-exposed to normal air. (The three mole-rats that were exposed for 30 minutes, however, died.)
