Hibernating bears could hold the key to long-distance space travel

[onager]

4. Thanks, this is interesting.

And any minute now, some right-wing pundit or Congress-critter will be mocking this research as a waste of money. They do that all the time, with just about any research that doesn't immediately benefit American business. Unless it involves studying evolution, which is always automatically wrong because Jesus.

The area where I live now has a lot of black bears. Earlier in the spring they were coming out of hibernation and getting themselves in trouble. Especially the young males, pushed out by Mom to fend for themselves. Two of the poor critters were run over and killed on the local highways.

Another young black bear woke up and went wandering around a university campus. He ended up in the back yard of the university president's house. The Bear Police just kept an eye on him and he eventually ran off into the woods. And is still at large, AFAIK.