Hibernation (冬眠) is a classic topic of science fiction. In movies such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, or Passengers, crew members are put into a state of sleep to take year-long journeys to space. Now a new study from Washington University has shown that human hibernation may soon become a reality.

The research team carried out tests on rats — animals that do not naturally hibernate. They first identified a group of neurons (神经元) in a deep brain region, which were found to be involved in controlling body temperature during hibernation. They showed that, in mice, these neurons could be stimulated using ultrasound (超声波), which was delivered through a helmet without causing an injury.

When receiving the ultrasound, the mice showed a drop in body temperature of about3°C, and their heart rates fell by about 47%. When the ultrasound system was switched off, they woke up again. The result was “surprising and fascinating”, said Hong Chen, a professor who led the work.

Researchers are also trying to determine how to harness the power of hibernation to help humans. They believe that it could be key to addressing health conditions like heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Furthermore, hibernation’s ability to slow aging, which was observed in bats, could benefit space exploration, enabling longer missions with less food requirements. Research in animals also suggests that bodies of hibernating astronauts might lose less bone and muscle, making them fit and ready to start challenging exploration soon after they wake up.

By unlocking the secrets of this remarkable process, researchers may uncover ways to improve human health, as well as gain new insights into the natural world. Therefore, the exploration of hibernation is an exciting area that is sure to yield numerous benefits in the years to come.

The scientists now plan to look at how lowered body temperature might affect the cognitive abilities of humans. “Our next experiments will test working memory in monkeys. This is important because while astronauts physically hibernate as they fly into deep space, their brain still needs to be working,” said Chen.

【小题1】How did researchers put rats into hibernation?

A．By lowering their body temperature.

B．By activating specific brain neurons.

C．By putting a regular helmet on them.

D．By using ultrasound through an operation.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “harness” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Employ.

B．Challenge.

C．Overlook.

D．Discover.

【小题3】What advantage might hibernation bring to humans?

A．It improves people’s mental health.

B．It predicts a variety of heart diseases.

C．It helps astronauts keep physically fit.

D．It enables astronauts to build up muscle.

【小题4】What’s the purpose of the last paragraph?

A．To point out the significance of the study.

B．To bring out the focus of follow-up studies.

C．To discuss other factors affecting hibernation.

D．To explain practical applications of the finding.