Midmorning With Aundrea - November 10, 2020 (Part 2) [ENCORE PRESENTATION]

(Part 2 of 4) Scientists are unlocking the mysteries of the hibernation periods of Grizzly Bears.

Much as we humans may welcome any chance to sleep in, we're practically insomniacs compared to animals that hibernate.

It's a curious phenomenon that's beginning to yield some of its secrets.

Here's conor kinighton from cbs sunday morning.

Vo: for a bear, brooks falls at katmai national park in alaska is like one of those conveyor-belt sushi restaurants.

During the summer months, diners are treated to a seemingly endless supply of salmon.

This summer, the alpha of omega-3 consumption was a bear known as "747," the rece winner of katmai's annual online fat bear week contest.

Jumbo jet- sized 747 is estimated to weigh 1400 pounds.

But of course all those pounds serve a purpose.

Heiko jansen 11:52:59 // bears have an enormous appetite.

It's-- it's virtually unstoppable.

And they will eat and eat and eat to gain that fat mass to survive hibernation.

Vo: heiko jansen is a professor of integrated physiology and neuroscience at washington state university, home to the country's only dedicated bear research center.

Located in pullman, wa, the center houses eleven grizzlies, and these big mammals on campus are helping scientists unlock some of hibernation's mysteries.

But first, let's clear up a hibernation misconception&.

Sot: clip from yogi bear cartoon, yogi and boo boo go into den, set alarm clock for may.

Boo boo: "i' getting awfully sleepy."

Yogi: "likewise, bo boo!

I can hardly wait& to hibernate!"

Vo: the common, cartoon concept of hibernation involves bears going to sleep in november and then waking up for the first time in spring.

But that's not quite what happens.

Heiko jansen: 11:36:48 they actually don't sleep all the time.

They have a fairly regular sleep/wake pattern.

And-- and they will get up in the den, they might stretch a little bit.

Vo: in fact, pregnant females give birth and nurse their cubs during hibernation.

Heiko jansen 11:45:52 the more fat a mom puts on going into the den, the bigger the cubs are that are born and the more cubs she can produce.

Vo: but what scientists don't fully understand is how bears can get so heavy and yet stay relatively healthy conor knighton: 11:55:13 bears eat a ton, get fat&don't get diabetes.

Heiko jansen: 11:55:18 exactly.

Right.

//they exhibit some of the signs that type two diabetics exhibit.

But then all of that reverses itself.

Vo: in the lab at wsu, fat cells are analyzed for clues about how the bears beat diabetes.

Grad student hannah hapner believes the answers could have implications far beyond the bear world.

Hannah hapner: 13:52:24 hopefully what i'm doing will assist in us figuring out how all that works and then developing treatments for those human metabolic diseases as well.

Vo: a treatment for type ii diabetes may be hiding in hibernation.

And, if we humans could ever find a way to lower our own metabolic rate the same way that bears do, well, then the skies would no longer be as limiting.

Sot 2001 space oddessy "this i the first time that men have been put into hibernation before departure."

Vo: in 2001:a space odyssey, some of the crew goes into hibernation to conserve food and water en route to jupiter.

According to jansen, it's not that far fetched.

Heiko jansen 12:08:55 even lowering our metabolic rates-- by a few percentage points would have a huge benefit-- to the amount of stuff you simply had to carry on a spacecraft.

Vo: although, so much snoozing would present its own set of challenges.

Heiko jansen 12:01:31 humans that would be laying down for six months, would lose a tremendous amount of bone.but bears aren't losing bone mass.

They're not becoming osteoporotic like-- like humans would.

Vo: why?

Nobody really knows.

The wsu center opened in 1986 to help answer those types of questions.

The grizzlies either come from the greater yellowstone region, where encounters with humans have put them at risk of being put down, or they were born on site.

Since the researchers control the diet, they start shirking the portions in the fall to mic what would be happening in the wild.

It's mostly a mix of kibble and apples, with one occasional treat.

Heiko jansen: 11:50:00 they will do almost anything-- for a large bolus of honey.

Conor knighton: 11:50:15 i can't believe that's the bear stereotype that's true.

It's, like, of all of them, i would've been like, all right, the winnie the pooh thing is ridiculous.

That's true!

They love honey.

Heiko jansen: 11:50:22 they love honey.

Vo: for a few squirts of honey, the bears kick out their paws for a final pre- hibernation blood draw.

They'll be examined again in april, but for the next several months-it's pretty hands off.

They'll be monitored on camera while they laze around.

With so much uncertainty in the world-from the pandemic to politics-it's hard not to be a little envious of hibernators.

For humans, it's bound to be a challenging winter.

But for the bears, it'll be a blur.

They'll essentially get to skip it all, curled up in their dens, awaiting a sunnier spring.

Part folklore.

Part myth.

We'll visit sleepy hollow next on mid morning.

Part folklore.

Part myth.