Image of a Siberian hamster from Wikimedia Commons
Exposing Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) to shorter photoperiods (think winter) for about two months causes the animals to spontaneously undergo daily bouts of torpor during which time they decrease metabolic rate to conserve energy. New research published in the American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology was designed to examine whether decreases in growth hormone secretion was involved in stimulating these daily torpor episodes. By administering a chemical that inhibits growth hormone,…
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