Hibernating bears’ wounds heal without scars

Black bears have a surprising capacity to heal as they hibernate, say researchers in the US.

Medical researchers and zoologists worked together to find that the bears’ wounds healed with almost no scarring, and were infection-free.

The scientists hope, eventually, to find out exactly how the bears’ bodies heal while their body temperature, heart rate and metabolism are reduced.

This could aid studies of human wound-healing.

The findings, published in the journal Integrative Zoology, are of particular relevance to medical researchers hoping to improve slow-healing and infection-prone wounds in elderly, malnourished or diabetic patients — via redwolf.newsvine.com