Some unusual creatures are coming out of winter’s slumber. Here’s why scientists are excited. Duke Today, March 12, 2021. Animals that hibernate in the wild rarely do so in zoos and sanctuaries, with their climate controls and year-round access to food. But now our closest hibernating relative has gone into true, deep hibernation in captivity for the first time at the Duke Lemur Center. Studying dwarf lemur torpor may help humans safely enter and emerge from suspended states, such as when cardiac surgeons cool patients to slow their hearts for life-saving surgery. Picked up by Inverse, Gizmodo, Smithsonian Magazine here and here, IFLScience and KHOU 11 News Houston.