Blood of THIS flying mammal might help humans travel through interstellar space

Conversations around space travel have never been louder. Humans are vying to go to the Moon, Mars, and even beyond. But is that possible? The problem isn't just the need to advance technology around spacecraft, but also how to prepare the human body for the gruelling journey. 

The human body is not meant to survive in the vacuum of space, where radiation and other things can prove dangerous. Sleeping throughout the trip, or hibernating, might be a solution. Scientists now say that the key to travelling through space while asleep might lie in the blood of bats. 

The animal is known to live in extremely cold places for prolonged periods. This is largely because of the presence of a type of red blood cell, known as erythrocyte, in its body, researchers from Greifswald University in Germany have revealed. 

Erythrocytes are also present in human blood but do not respond similarly to the cold as they do in a bat's blood.

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The researchers compared the erythrocytes from two species of bats that are known to hibernate during colder months with those found in humans.

Bat blood works normally at low temperatures

They noticed that as the temperatures dropped, the erythrocytes of the bats remained normal and elastic, and seemed to adapt to the cold. However, human erythrocytes became more viscous and less flexible at below-normal body temperature.

While scientists have identified the special characteristic in bat blood, how they plan to implement it in the case of humans to facilitate interstellar travel is still tricky, and it might be years before it becomes a viable solution.

Gerald Kerth, the lead author of the study, said that while it is a positive step, it is still far-fetched. "Putting humans into a state of low temperature during an interstellar flight has advantages. We’re not saying this will happen in the next three years, but it’s an important first step," he said.

If scientists are successful in executing the entire thing someday, it would help make space travel a reality. Astronauts won't need as many resources and oxygen to survive the arduous trips, ultimately leading humans to explore the cosmic world.