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22/04/2005: "Suspended Animation"

H2S Induces a Suspended Animation�Like State in Mice: Mammals normally maintain their core body temperature (CBT) despite changes in environmental temperature. Exceptions to this norm include suspended animation�like states such as hibernation, torpor, and estivation. These states are all characterized by marked decreases in metabolic rate, followed by a loss of homeothermic control in which the animal's CBT approaches that of the environment. We report that hydrogen sulfide can induce a suspended animation-like state in a nonhibernating species, the house mouse (Mus musculus). This state is readily reversible and does not appear to harm the animal. This suggests the possibility of inducing suspended animation-like states for medical applications (and space travel!).
Eric Blackstone, Mike Morrison, and Mark B. Roth in Science, 22 April 2005: 518 (abstract | BBC News article).