Nature Talk: “Life in Limbo”, November 16, 2023

The November meeting will feature a Nature Talk on “Life in Limbo”, alternately called “The Living Dead and the Control of Biological Time”.  It will be given by Ken Storey, a Professor of Biochemistry at Carleton University and Canada Research Chair in Molecular Physiology.  

Environmental extremes trigger extreme animal responses – including total biochemical shut down.  Stresses, from freezing, to oxygen deprivation, to extreme heat or cold, can trigger the appearance of “the living dead” – animals that are alive but show no apparent life signs.  Ken’s lab studies the complex molecular mechanisms that nature has put in place to control life suppression. He and his colleagues have identified multiple adaptive strategies that will lead to advances in human health & organ storage/transplant.  And the biochemical secrets of these animals may one day be applied to humans, allowing astronauts’ metabolisms to be turned off during space flights.  For more information go to:www.kenstoreylab.com