What Ever Happened with H2S Induced Hibernation?

11-20-19 Humans Placed in Suspended Animation for the First Time


What Ever Happened with H2S Induced Hibernation?

I wrote this post on April 22, 2006

One year ago today, something extraordinary happened...

Mark Roth at Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center in Seattle announced the astounding ability to induced hibernation in mice by having them breathe 80 parts per million (ppm) hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S). Yes, that's the gas that smells like rotten eggs.

Not only did these critters fall asleep for six hours, their heart rate and respiration dropped by 92% - apparently replicating the effects of true hibernation. And their temperature dropped to 2 degrees C above ambient temperature. They in effect became cold-blooded.

It should also be noted, when the gas was removed, the mice awoke with no apparent ill effects. The critters could still run their maze in a normal fashion.

There are hints that H2S Induced Hibernation might be a natural defense mechanism or at least a normal biological process. It appears this H2S gas is produced by the body under certain conditions and may be the key to normal hibernation. This may also be the cause of "Cold Water Shock Reflex" in which those who have "drowned" in cold water come back to life.

At 80 ppm, H2S can not simply be replacing O2 in the blood which exist at 210,000 PPM in typical air. It seems that H2S acts more like a hormone causing ALL cells in the body to slow down at the same time. Is H2S the body's way of adjusting the thermostat?

Hold on! I'm way out of my element here. I'm not qualified to do biology. I'm not even qualified to write about it.

But I DO considered this ASTOUNDING news! And indeed the world reported it. Well at least in a tepid way (sorry about the pun). From the BBC to the Washington Post they did at least rehash Mark's original work. Even Wikipedia added three paragraphs to the Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) page. I was impressed with that.

But THAT was it...

I'm serious.

Nothing more.

No follow-up questions.

No follow-up answers.

No in-depth reporting.

No detailed analysis.

No flying out to Seattle.

No camping on the lawn.

No helicopter shots.

No checking tax returns.

Hell, Tom Cruise jumps up and down on a couch and the media follows him around for weeks! Where is the coverage for the stuff that REALLY counts? Oh well. I would wait. There was sure to be more news on the topic in a short time. So I set my Google news reader and waited...

And waited...

And waited...

And I'm still waiting.

It's been one year. Other than some comments from an aging blog and one think tank, there has been nothing at all. Nothing! Am I way off base or is this NOT a Nobel class discovery?

Where's the follow-up from Mark Roth?

Where's the H2S Induced Hibernation blog?

Where are the frat boy posts about their flatulent experiments?

Where's the Flatliner crew?

Where's Kiefer Sutherland when we need him?

Where are all the science fiction plots?

When I read the news release last year, I thought follow-up would be like the coverage for Cold Fusion a few years ago - lots of people trying to reproduce the results. Maybe we would even get some quick test with humans.

But no...

Nothing.

Nada.

Zilch.

What's a geek to do? There's only one thing. Ask the questions that SHOULD have been asked a year ago. So here goes.

Does this Roth effect work longer than six hours?

Does it work for days?

Does it work for weeks?

Does it work for months?

Does it work on other larger mammals?

Does it work on humans?

Any obvious side effects?

Any long term side effects?

How long can someone stay under without ill effects?

Does this low-level metabolism consume fat like it does in bears?

Does muscle tone also atrophy?

Does this low-level metabolism extend life?

Is 80 PPM a threshold or is there a proportional effect at 40 PPM? 20 PPM?

What happens at 160 ppm? Is the sleep deeper? (yes, I know H2S is deadly at higher concentration, but so is table salt).

Is this truly a natural feature of mammals?  If H2S is produced internally, can the effect be induced by meditation? If so, how does one exit the state?

I could go on and on but you get the idea. To get the answers to these and other questions, first they have to be asked. And then asked by the right people. That's what this blog post is all about. We need the right people asking these questions - not me.

There's a saying in the world of finance, "Capital finds it's highest and best use". This seems to take a little longer with science. It also takes imagination, speculation and a whole lot of promoting.

Promotion is important. America was not named for Columbus. America was named for a navigator and blogger of the fifteenth century - Amerigo Vespucci. His letters were published widely on his return from the new world. He didn't discover anything, but promoted what he found. The name stuck.

That's why H2S Induced Hibernation now needs to be all about blogs, Digg and Wikipedia. It's up to us. It's time for some speculation. Maybe even some speculative fiction. We need serious talent applied to finding the answers to the above and other questions. More discussion may help.

Here are some ideas as to how H2S could be used. Maybe this will help move things along.

Time in trauma care - This one is obvious. With such low concentrations of H2S needed, a simple regulator mask in first aid kits might extend that "Critical Hour" to a "Critical Day" giving time to do a better job with transport, evaluation, and treatment. It's easier to stop bleeding when the heart is only pumping eight times per minute. It's easier to keep cells alive when their demand for resources has dropped by 92%.

Mine Disasters - During the recent mine disaster in West Virginia, the miners only had air for one hour. Could this have been extended to 12 hours by adding a little H2S to those respirators? Coal mine accidents are an even bigger problem in China with over 6,000 dead per year. Think of the lives that could be saved even if a small percentage had this advantage.

Fire Escape - Since most fire deaths are caused by smoke inhalation, many extra minutes could be gained with one of those new and improved masks from the coal mine? Check the first-aid kit. Is it there yet? Again, the lives saved would be in the thousands world-wide.

Underwater Rescue - Another good application for limited oxygen? And maybe a re-make of the movie Abyss? Lots of possibilities here.

ALL incurable disease - This is a no brainer. Got a problem? Take a break for a while. Wake up to review the literature. Take another break. Repeat until cured.

Medical scheduling - Waiting for an organ? Make sure you have enough time. It's better than death.

Military Use - Lot's of possibilities here, from trauma to transport. Here's where Kiefer Suterland comes in with a new release of 24 Hours lived in 24 years. How's THAT for a challenge to his premise?

Sleep Efficiency - How about all that time we waste sleeping? Might we extend our life by taking it deeper? Or maybe the opposite, and find out how to shorten sleep? Keep an open mind.

Weight Loss - this could be a biggie, both in terms of dollars and quality of life. Let's say you're not a fan of winter anyway. Why not do like the bears do? You could wake up ready for your new spring swim suit.

Capital Punishment - This is a bit radical, but at least it's not a death sentence. And they aren't causing any problems in the mean time. In time we might even find a "cure" for murder.

Pregnant Mothers - This might at first seem radical too, but Mark Roth's page refers to "embryonic diapause, a pause in embryonic development found in about 70 species of mammals". It might be useful one way or the other. Don't count it out.

Punishment - What the hell. Let's put them ALL on ice as a cost reduction measure! We could count it as good time. Would it still be punishment? Fun to think about. (note - after I wrote this I found one blog post at World Think Tank that talked about using H2S for prison riot control. Could we extent this to riot control in general?)

Athletes - Since I'm getting radical, how about extending the performance window of our very best athletes? We could give them the option of waking up every four years in time to train for the Olympics. The other option would simply be to let them "rest" off season.

Space Travel - Yep. Classic application. Maybe we could finally do some. There are at the very least, some fresh movie plots here, or the chance to make them more realistic.

Time Travel - This is of course relative and one direction. But how about sleeping a few weeks at a time and find yourself subjectively rushing forward into the future? It might be fun.

Tivo for life - This is an extension of the time travel idea - sort of fast forward when you want, live life when YOU want. Let's say you're a basketball fan but hate the rest of the year - beep, beep, beep. Treat the boring parts of life like one big commercial. Live life on YOUR terms!

Tivo for the heart - Will H2S sleep dampen a heartache? I think Heinlein used this in "Door Into Summer". Would it help? Who knows. If you've ever been there, anything's worth a try.

Tivo for the soul - Could this be the ultimate form of meditation? Stay awake for only short slices of life and jump WAY into the future. Would it give you a different perspective? Would you dream? Would it matter?

Anyway, you get the idea. The point is, there are LOTS of possibilities not being effectively promoted. Feel free to ad yours below. These examples are why it's so important to know...

H2S Induced Hibernation useful?

It's been a YEAR!

Clue us in.

Or is everyone, "No Longer Sleepless in Seattle" ?

BTW, amazing work Mark. Congratulations.



Sudden Disruption

The latest:

07-28-16 HOW SCIENTISTS ARE BRINGING PEOPLE BACK FROM THE DEAD

01-20-16 Being frozen ‘to death’ saved this man’s life. It could save others,’ too. 

06-21-15 The role of endogenous H2S production during hibernation and forced hypothermia: towards safe cooling and rewarming in clinical practice

Apparently "Torpor" is the new handle for this technology:

10-03-14 NASA Eyes Crew Deep Sleep Option for Mars Mission

04-21-14 Survival of teenage stowaway on five-hour flight to Honolulu is medical 'miracle'

03-27-14 Doctors will place patients between life and death in suspended animation trials

10-07-13 - Ain't No Science Fiction, Suspended Animation Is FDA Approved and Heading to Clinical Trials
Mass extinction is a great reason to hibernate:

04-17-12 Key ingredient in mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production

02-20-12 - Peter Skyllberg Snowed in for Two Months - Related?

Was Mitsutaka Uchikoshi another example?

09-30-10  Considering the theme of my original post, here is yet another example of the media missing the story and working the "politically incorrect" angle.  


In this case, documents were revealed from a Naval Surgeon in 1805. The headline is about "Bizarre naval experiments" and the focus is tobacco smoke and deliberate transmission of venereal disease, when the real story is quite probably the first documented case of suspended animation.  

When will they ever "get it"?

Bizarre naval experiments revealed

04-21-10  Significant advancement and recognition for the concept of induced hibernation! 

I revisit this topic each year.  It appears there's been significant progress.  Look through my list of uses below to understand why, and how important this discovery is.  Or start with Mark Roth's latest TED video at the end of the post.

CNN Update - 10-15-09...

Another major update 02-18-10 - Wired Interview

Mark Roth on Mice and Men and Suspended Animation

Mark Roth Home Page

Mark Roth: Suspended animation is within our grasp 02-2010 

Mark Roth's company - Ikaria Holdings

Potential Applications of Hydrogen Sulfide-Induced Suspended Animation

11-20-19 Humans Placed in Suspended Animation for the First Time

12-06-19 Woman Survives  six hours

03-16-20 Hydrogen Sulfide Is an Antiviral

06-15-20 Switch in Mouse Brain Induces a Deep Slumber Similar to Hibernation

03-15-21 Lemurs Hibernate Too

03-21-24 18 Years later DARPA decides to spend 9 billion dollars to settle the issue

Favorite Quotes

‘If our species had started with just two people at the time of the earliest agricultural practices some 10,000 years ago, and increased by one percent per year, today humanity would be a solid ball of flesh many thousand light years in diameter, and expanding with a radial velocity that, neglecting relativity, would be many times faster than the speed of light.’Gabor Zovanyi


As opposed to "Do to others what you would have them do to you", "Do to others what they would have you do to them". The golden rule presumes we are all alike. The Platinum rule is more subjective. 12-2714

"Freedom, to me, is the ultimate value. There is nothing higher than freedom." OSHO

Humor is intuition landing in our logic, like a fly in our metaphor. 04-02-14


"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." - Paraphrased from Albert Einstein by Bob Samples 1976


“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” - Marthe Troly-Curtin July 1911


“I know one thing, that I know nothing.” - Socrates 500 BC


"I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief" - Gerry Spence.


"Expectations are premeditated resentments. Let the future find it's form."


"In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it." - Robert Heinlein


"Art is that which everything else isn't" - Theodore Roethke


"Moderation in all things, including moderation." - Oscar Wilde?


"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein


"Revenge is for children and the emotionally retarded" - Frank Herbert


"Stay hungry, stay foolish." Stewart Brand


"Choice is just another word for discrimination, so when does my choice become your discrimination?" Rod Coleman 02-12-14

SO Nicely Stated... Ursula Le Guin sends a cry from the heart

Her Response...

Live Ink offers better way to read text online

Live Ink is a truly new idea - which is rare these days.

I've been searching for the optimal comprehension column width for years and have reached different conclusions at different times.

Live Ink goes beyond column width to find and display the rhythm of the content. My first impression is that they are on to something here.

It'll be interesting to see how this works out.

Stay tuned

Web Usability Data

(example of bad website)

I'm sure some of you have already discovered this site and assume everyone else has too. But that's obviously not the case. Just look around the web.

I'm impressed with the way Jakob challenges the status quo of writing styles. Or maybe it's that I agree with many of his usability points.

In any case, if you do any web design, this site is worth your time.

useit.com: Jakob Nielsen's Website

Does Butter Fly When Churned with Water?

I was out for my morning miles, just getting started actually, and totally lost in thought that shall now never be recalled. 


All of a sudden, I was distracted by a huge butterfly the color of it's namesake lying open on the path, not moving at all. Did it pick this very moment to die?

It stopped me in my tracks with it's rich yellow hues, as if it were freshly churned. And it stopped me in my train of thought to wonder, what is it doing here?  Spring ended yesterday. Why was this guy still hanging around? And why hadn't a bird snapped it up for breakfast? If the early bird gets the worm, does the late hiker get the butterfly?

This creature would bear further inspection. I needed to get it home where I have one of those magnifying lamps on my desk. But how could I best carry it? I had just started my walk and still had miles to go. I had no Ziplock or easy way to hold a butterfly.

As a student of Zen, THIS was a worthy challenge - even a bit poetic. Could I carry a dead butterfly for miles without breaking it?  Would this task bring enlightenment?

I pulled my shirt sleeve down over my right hand cupping it against my belly hoping the cloth would do less damage. Next I picked up the butterfly by the tip of the wing and put it on it's prepared shelf. I started out slowly then headed on up the path at a faster clip. This was easy I thought, keeping an eye on my passenger.

I was wrong. Carrying a butterfly is more difficult than you might think. Even the breeze from walking buffets it about. It fell off twice in the first mile. After that I got better with my balance. Or so it seemed. I carefully moved on.

There is this one steep hill just before the highway. As I went down carefully a serious breeze caught the butterfly's wings. But it held its position against the wind! It was holding on to the cotton with its feet!  Was this a death-spasm?  Or maybe just a contraction from the process of dying?  Well then, it would die in my arms, I laughed to myself as I cupped him with both hands and ran across the highway.

Back at the house I looked for something to set it on so I could check it out under the magnifying glass. There was a stiff advertising post card with the power bill. That would work for now. Later I would want something completely white as a background for photos. Its feet were definitely attached to the threads of my shirt. I could feel them pull away as I picked him up by the wings.

Under the glass it was even more beautiful than before. The color was amazing. Then his legs started moving. Was this another spasm? The butterfly had a spiral tongue, and it unwound - like a dog waking up from a nap. This creature was alive! Or was it?  I watched for minutes.  It didn't move any more.  This WAS becoming an exercise in Zen.  So was that another dying gasp?  Or just yawning? I turned off the light and went to work at the computer.

A while later I checked again. No movement. And there was no change by the time I left for breakfast. It was laid out flat on the post card - perfect for mounting.

When I returned a couple of hours later it had moved. It was now on its side with its wings closed. Damn, I thought, I didn't want it dying in that position. I needed it flat for display.

I gently pulled its wings apart. But back they went. Do butterflies get rigor mortis? Again I carefully pulled them apart. They flipped back.  I was curious.  I turned on the light for a closer look - no other movement. Maybe it had died and then dried out in that position. Water might relax it a bit. I took it to the sink and splashed it with a couple drops. No change.

I let it soak a few seconds then pulled the wings apart again. It flapped out of my fingers and into my face! It then flew across the room banging into my dining room window. That settled that. It was definitely alive. It just needed a drink of water.

I quickly moved to catch it but it went up high. I stepped on the chair. Still not high enough. I stepped up on the table and caught him cupping my hands over the window. He stopped flapping. Did it remember my smell? Or was it just scared?

I pulled the sliding glass door open with my elbow and took it out on the deck. As I opened my hands, it just sat there. Now it didn't want to leave. Go figure. I poked it and it took to the air. This was no timid departure. It went almost straight up about twenty feet landing on the top of a tree near my deck.

So does butter fly when churned with water? This one certainly did.

And did I find the path to Zen enlightenment?   Nope.  Not even close.

But I did learn not to make assumptions about life.

Or when it ends.

Lights, camera, ACTION!

Anyone ever notice how so many stories on writing sites start out like the narrator is from a Disney movie talking to the gods of nature?

OK, Bullfrog. I'm not picking on you. I'm just using you as an example for something I've noticed a lot. The narrators seem SO disconnected from the audience.

How about starting from narration, then drop into your character's skin? Or at least something a bit more active? Especially when it's an action story?

"For just a second he stopped to rest. He let his breath catch up with his lungs. He started to notice things that had been a blur. The sky was not as black as it was when he started. This would make it harder to hide. He was far off course. He would have to fix that. He noticed how the wet ground pulled the sand up between his toes. At least his feet didn't hurt much yet. That would change if he stopped here too long. He needed the adrenalin.

He picked a direction and pushed off hard. Why had he become the hunted? Why had all his options ran out? He needed answers. But he had to get them moving."


Am I the only one that thinks a story should connect quickly?

And don't be afraid to drop out of lurk mode now and then Bullfrog.

It's only mild rejection.

Why This Blog?

The reason for this blog is Sudden View.
The reason for Sudden View is this blog.
More specifically...

The primary reason for the creation of this blog is to support the text editor Sudden View, and to explain the why of it's design.

The second reason for this blog is that I like to write; and I like to write about all kinds of things, which is the primary reason for the creation of Sudden View.


Sudden Disruption

Sudden View - for the art of editing text

Christmas Story

As I mentioned before, I live in a park setting not far from the Mt. Rose Wilderness area. I get deer, coyotes and LOTS of birds around my place.

During the last few weeks there have been literally HUNDREDS of Canadian geese in the fields around my house and the lakes below. Sometimes they land on my house and make a lot of noise on the roof. More than once they've blessed my deck. And a goose fresh from the field can offer a generous blessing.

Anyway, this afternoon I'm having lunch and reading about the most interesting discoveries of the year in Popular Science when I hear this clatter on the roof. At first I didn't think anything about it. More geese of course. But not for long.

This was SERIOUS clatter so I cocked my head and listened closely. It sounded like a football team on my roof! THIS needed to be investigated so I ran outside to the rail of the deck. As I looked back at the house I was stunned. There were DEER on my roof. Yes, DEER! Three of them!

Now this was strange indeed but not as impossible as it might sound. My house is built into the side of the hill with the back of the roof only about a foot off the ground. Yes, I live in a Hobbit hole. I guess they just decided to walk out on the roof to have a look around.

As I slowly walked to the end of the house I saw four more on the road. Just then two of the three on the roof joined the larger group back on the road but one of them broke the other way. He ran the length of my house and lept into the air high enough that I could see him in the air from the far end.

Oh no, I thought. He'll break a leg trying to get away. Nope. Deer know how to land. By the time I got there he was long gone down over the hill.

Just then a guy with white hair pulled up...

OK, this is going too far. No. It's not what you think.

It was my landlord driving his yellow VW bug. He had to stop for the deer in the road. He said, "That was strange", shook his head and went on. Just then the one that jumped off the house joined the others.

Not so strange I thought. It's December 23rd. They were just practicing for tomorrow night... LOL!

OK, OK they weren't REINdeer. There were no antlers. And seven is not enough to pull the sleigh.

Still...

It made me smile.

If you question the veracity of my story, just remember, truth really IS stranger than fiction. Reality has it's own unique way of entertaining us.

Just thought I'd share. My twelve year old loved hearing about it.

Merry Christmas.