NeutralAxis

Hot off last night’s viewing of Dead Snow featuring zombie Nazis, today I find this nugget on Wired.com about DARPA’s efforts to reduce battlefield fatalities due to blood loss by inducing a state in which the brain and heart shut down, thus stopping bleeding, until the soldier can be evacuated.

Currently testing is underway on two techniques.  One using a pancreatic enzyme that is responsible for the ability of squirrels to hibernate, and another using hydrogen sulfide which blocks the ability of the body to use oxygen.

Testing is underway in pigs, whose cardiovascular system is similar to humans, with the hydrogen sulfide method.

A 15 person team is working on the problem and expects to show successful results with 18 months.