Mole-rats survive like plants in low oxygen: Study
Deprived of oxygen, naked mole-rats can survive by switching metabolic systems, previously observed only in plants, a US-based study has found. The rodents survived for 20 minutes without oxygen by switching from a glucose-based system to a fructose-metabolising system. The findings could lead to treatments for patients suffering crises of oxygen deprivation, as in heart attacks, researchers said.