Tempted to Hibernate This Winter? Think again...

A recent article written by Catharine Paddock PhD was published by Medical News Today describing the connection between an extended lifespan and exposure to certain temperatures. The research for the study must be credited to the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. The MBL is affiliated with The University of Chicago.  The full report can be found in the journal Experimental Gerontology.  Fruit flies are commonly used in genetic testing, however in this particular study, rotifers were examined. Rotifers have many characteristics that make them more practical than fruit flies. One of those beneficial features are their transparent bodies which allow scientists to observe their inner parts with ease. The health benefits of cold temperatures have been known for some time in the biohacking world. These benefits include fat loss, reduced inflammation, improved quality of sleep, increased lifespan and much more. This study concentrated on the claim that cold exposure increased a person's lifespan. It is thought that cold increases ones lifespan by way of slowing the metabolic rate which in turn produces less byproducts such as reactive oxidative species (ROS). This claim was put to the test in 11 different strains of rotifers. The results of this test was surprisingly wide ranged. It was concluded that exposure to cold temperatures may improve the quality of ones life for a longer period of time. However the effect on the longevity of ones lifespan may be varied depending on the genetic makeup of each individual.

Personally, I strongly dislike the cold. I prefer hot sunny days so much so that I fully intend to move to Arizona when I complete school. However, I do enjoy learning and implementing new health "hacks" into my life. I have always considered attempting the cold shower tactic but could never muster up the courage. When I came across this article, I was hoping it would prove that some people are just not "built" for the cold. To my dismay, the study proved that whether or not it expands the length of your life it will definitely improve the quality. I supposed it's time to take a deep breath and go in for the plunge.

Can Moss Really Survive in Antarctic Temperatures?

Moss can survive in antarctic temperatures! 

Antartica is home to about 100 moss species, 

which is by far the dominant plant species on the continent.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/426293920955062903/ 

Antartica experiences very harsh conditions for plant life survival such as freezing temperatures, poor soil quality, little sunlight, and a lack of moisture! Research biologists from the Korea Polar Research Unit, funded by their “Polar Genomes 101 Project,” are looking into plant adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. They state, “We will search for as yet unknown signaling mechanisms in the moss that have evolved over millions of years to make life in remote and hostile places possible. I find this article and research fascinating! I have only ever really known Antartica for cold temperatures and penguins. It is very neat to learn that it is also home to 100 moss species as well! I have an open air globe with moss and tillandsia and am amazed that I only need to water it twice a week. It does not require much sunlight, attention, or certain temperatures. I love that moss is becoming increasingly popular as well as research on it!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170112084941.htm

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26614092 

octopus from the Arctic tweaks its RNA to make nervous system proteins that work better in the cold.

To endure the cold, octupus living in the freezing cold waters o the Antarctica use a trick called RNA editing to produce proteins that work that work at low temperatures. The proteins excreted by the nervous sytem to send signals don't work efficiently. After a nerve cell fires and the electrical charge across the cell membrane comes to normal, the potassium ions are shut out out of the ion channels but at cold temperatures the potassium channel's closing can be delayed thus slowing down the neuron. Researchers thought that animals living in these cold temperatures might have modified their postassium channels so they work better in the cold. 



 Molecular neurophysiologist Joshua Rosenthal of the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus in San Juan and his graduate student Sandra Garrett figured they knew how that adjustment would occur. "We thought we were going to see changes at the level of the gene," Rosenthal says. But instead they use RNA editing, to change a protein. During RNA editing, cells change the nucleotide sequence of the RNA which changes the sequence of amino acids in the resulting protein and change the protein's function. The Antarctic octopus edits its RNA at nine sites that change the amino acid sequence of the potassium channel.

Other researchers praise the study for revealing a new way for organisms to adapt. "There's this whole different molecular mechanism for increasing protein diversity," says molecular neurobiologist Ronald Emeson of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.