Photo/Illutration Thermography shows that the body temperature of a mouse, right, is lower in an induced hibernation-like state. (Provided by Riken national research institute)

A single article in a science journal transformed the life of Genshiro Sunagawa, a 46-year-old pediatrician.

One morning in September 2005, Sunagawa casually picked up the publication in an empty doctor’s office after finishing his night shift at the National Center for Child Health and Development in Tokyo. He was a medical practitioner in his fifth year.

The journal carried an article about the discovery of a hibernating lemur species in Madagascar.

Some mammals, such as bears, are known to hibernate, but primates going into such a state was unheard of. His curiosity aroused, Sunagawa wondered if humans, a primate species, could also be induced into a state of hibernation.

As a clinician, he had treated children whose lives could have been saved with a little more effort.

Hibernation puts animals in a dormant state that substantially lowers the burden on the body than when they are asleep.

If hibernation could be induced artificially, Sunagawa reasoned that precious time could be gained while a patient is being taken to a hospital or being treated.

Eager to develop this theory further and save lives, Sunagawa quit his job and switched careers to a sleep researcher.

Sunagawa is now working on a human hibernation project on the Kobe campus of the Riken national research institute.

Several years ago, he and his coworkers successfully induced mice into a state that resembled hibernation. He is convinced that artificial hibernation will become reality someday.

To my lay ears, it all sounds like a wild tale from a science-fiction movie. Does it mean, aside from the potential to save lives, that aging and illnesses could be conquered?

Would it allow people to be whisked to the world 100 years from now, as if by a time machine, or to travel to the furthest reaches of outer space?

If that is the case, people may begin to harbor different views about climate change and peace issues than they do now.

It feels exciting to envisage such a scenario, but at the same time it is also somewhat disquieting.

“People should start giving serious thought to the matter now,” Sunagawa said. “It’s never too early for them to do so.”

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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