![]() ![]() To further examine the role of HSP47 in blood clots, they compared mice that have platelets with HSP47 to mice that have platelets without HSP47. ![]() This pattern suggests that having less HSP47 protects hibernating bears from blood clot formation. In comparing the blood from different seasons, Thienel and colleagues discovered that HSP47, a protein involved in platelet adhesion and clot formation, was less prevalent in the blood of hibernating bears. To study this phenomenon, scientists at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, led by Manuela Thienel and Tobias Petzold, collected blood samples from thirteen bears during their hibernating months as well as during their more active spring months. ![]() Scientists have recently uncovered what it is about hibernating bears that protects them, and how that phenomenon is paralleled across different mammals, including pigs, mice, and humans. However, hibernating bears experience even longer periods of immobility without the danger of developing these kinds of blood clots. When taking long international flights, we are often advised to walk around and stretch our legs to avoid deep venous thrombosis, or blood clots, from forming due to our immobility. ![]()
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