#hibernation

Ground squirrels reduce their metabolism during hibernation; could humans do it, too, with some genetic tweaks? Hibernation is extremely complex – after all, it affects every cell in the body – and there are almost certainly multiple switches involved in the process. MIT neuroscience researcher Siniša Hrvatin has identified another brain region that seems to play a key role in the process. In a…

I think they'd obviously have some kind of big multi-day feasting holiday before they hibernate. one last hurrah to celebrate the year and eat as much food as possible so they can survive their long slumber.

wherever they choose as their hibernation place, they'll want to make sure it's safe and secure, as well as comfortable. So they probably value architects that can make really cozy hibernation shelters.

Their religion should definitely include the hibernation in a major way. guardian spirits who watch them sleep, or deity related explanations for why they hibernate, or some belief that their souls are doing something important during hibernation, etc.

their whole lives during the waking period would have to be dedicated to doing all the work they need to get done, because nothing can be worked on during their sleep period. They may track their ages by the number of hibernations they've lived through.

And it is inevitable that some people will die during hibernation. Most commonly the older folks, or anyone who's too frail. if there's a drought/famine ahead of the hibernation, more people are likely to die in their long slumber. So the hibernation would also have an effect on their funeral traditions.

My goblins hibernate in the winters, as cold blooded amphibians. it's not universal for their species, as many goblins live in tropical regions that don't have winters. but for the goblins who hibernate, they have developed a belief that anyone who dies during the long sleep is reborn as a wyrm to guard their burrows.

It may also be possible for some members of this hibernating species to avoid hibernation through various means, and act as guards over those who sleep, as well as being in charge of waking everyone when the season is over, removing the dead, and preparing a feast for the waking time.

I imagine food preservation would also be absolutely essential to their culture. lots and lots of preserved foods like canned fruits, pickled vegetables, salt-cured meats, etc.

Was just told Mariah Carey is coming back out of hibernation

Its July

A new research report is adding another piece to a larger scientific puzzle, and the important part is not the drama of the finding but the practical work it could make possible. For readers, the useful question is what the research changes: whether it gives scientists a cleaner measurement, a better tool, or a result strong enough for other teams to test. (more…)