[news.yahoo.com]

>>TOKYO - A man who went missing in western Japan survived in near-freezing weather without food and water for over three weeks by falling into a state similar to hibernation, doctors said. Mitsutaka Uchikoshi had almost no pulse, his organs had all but shut down and his body temperature was 71 degrees Fahrenheit when he was discovered on Rokko mountain in late October, said doctors who treated him at the nearby Kobe City General Hospital. He had been missing for 24 days.<<

>>Doctors were still uncertain how exactly Uchikoshi survived for weeks with his metabolism almost at a standstill.
In animals like squirrels or bears, hibernation reduces the amount of oxygen that cells need to survive, protecting them from damage to the brain and other organs.<<

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This is fascinating. I wonder if this hibernation state could somehow be induced as part of life extension program.