The Grizzly Bear

In Washington, they have just found out that grizzly bears love pastries, can have 50 per cent body fat and spend nearly half the year sleeping. Doesn't it sound a bit like us or at least described what we really want to be? Despite this, the hibernating bears do not suffer from heart attacks and have no hardening of the arteries, no fatty deposits or any circulation issues. Scientists are seeking to learn how bear hearts stay so healthy and whether when found, the answers can benefit humans. The conditions of the changes in the heart that occur in hibernation are things that you and I cannot survive, yet bear hearts are very healthy. This is important as in future there may come a time of economic hardship where there just isn't enough jobs to go around and we may have to spend half the time sleeping, taking turns to go to work. This may already be happening to some economies.

Is is because bears are very happy animals? I think so, that is why they could sell huggies in bear-shape and make lots of money, all kinds of cartoons feature bears and some teddy bears can fetch a fortune. Scientists found that grizzly bears' hearts drop from more than 80 beats a minute while awake to less than 20 and sometimes even down to single digits when hibernating. Is it because they love to eat salmon? Maybe we need some hibernation of our own, well, at least periodically. It could be good for us. It was shown that blood started pooling in the heart but bears do not suffer blood clots. So far, scientists have only theories to explain how bears which share 95 per cent of our human DNA maintain healthy hearts. Papers have been published saying that protein changes make bear hearts stiffer during hibernation allowing them to maintain their shape and perhaps avoid formation of clots. Bears are also known to shut down two for four heart chambers without suffering any damage. Isn't it amazing to think the bears and humans share 95% of their DNA? Just 5% difference and we look and behave so differently. Even humans who share the same DNA look different. No two are the same. Evolution or Creation or simply a stroke of good luck that we didn't become bears or monkeys? Search for yourselves.

Although their numbers have rebounded grizzlies are a threatened species. Learning how bears cope for sleeping for so long like some of you do could have implications for humans. Most people are busy and successful and when in such a state of self-importance and plagued by many more issues surrounding us, we have no time to think of some issues. If anything, by the time, we are too tired each day. Yet in the most helpless situation, we would naturally cry out to God for help - like when your car is flying off a cliff. It is a helpless situation and even calling out your loved ones or best friends' names can't get you out of the rut.

There was this man who was out hunting alone in the wilderness. Unfortunately, he bumped into a grizzly bear. When the bear turned aggressive, he shot at it in panic but missed at close range. The bear, raising a paw swept his rifle away. He ran for dear life with the grizzly pounding away behind in hot pursuit. As he ran he knew at the back of his mind that he can't possibly outrun the bear all day but he soon came to that conclusion rather easily when he got to the end where a cliff beckons. Feeling total hopelessness, he looked up and shouted towards the heavens as he ran his last 50m: "God, please help me make this bear more like a human". He wasn't sure because he is an atheist who does not believe there is God but there is nothing else he could try given the circumstances. As he reached the end where the cliff was and turned around, he saw the bear applying the brakes. The bear looking more human then suddenly stood up on two legs rather than on all four. A miracle was happening. Next, the bear went down on its knees and put his paws together and he could hear the bear talk or rather saying a prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the food you are about to give me".

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