Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. With the freezing temperatures that have recently pummeled parts of the northeastern United States, the idea of curling up for the winter and snoozing until spring sounds very appealing. There’s just one problem for our species—well, actually, there would be many. As far as the science of hibernation goes, a long period of cold and inactivity usually isn’t good for human muscle tissue and muscle stem cells, or the cells that carry out the repair and maintenance of muscle tissues. This problem exists for most animals, but not the ones that hibernate and let winter pass them by.   Within this context, researchers investigated how the muscles of hibernating animals are safeguarded throughout extended stretches of inactivity and dramatic cold. In a study recently published in The FASEB Journal, scientists  discovered that in these situations, the muscle stem cells remain alive, essentially putting their activity on hold. In other words, when faced with acutely low temperatures, the cells in question don’t …