“When ground squirrels hibernate, apparently they develop some kind of a chemical which allows them to cool down, slow all processes in their bodies and then, after some time, return to normal and wake up. And while sleeping this way, they are not vulnerable to viruses or even radiation,” says biologist, Lyudmila Kramarova.

Many creatures hibernate to be able to survive without food or water for long periods, like bears and hedgehogs. But out of all warm-blooded animals, only the ground squirrel’s body temperature can drop below zero while its heart slowly continues to beat and its lungs breathe.

Experts believe these chemicals could be adapted to science.

“We expect the chemicals produced by the ground squirrel’s body could make other cells and tissues more viable to sub-zero temperatures, and allow a faster recovery. This way we'll be able to preserve tissues for longer,” says another scientist, Natalya Shyshova.

Cryo-preservation is already being used to store live stem cells, blood and semen, and studies on other tissues are continuing.

Cells are frozen and kept in temperatures dropping to nearly minus 200 degrees Centigrade, and the idea is that they continue to live after they are unfrozen.

Scientists say the substances produced by ground squirrels in the hibernation process may increase the cells' chances of survival. But it seems that these small animals may not only hold the key to overcoming scientific challenges, but to solving big problems in medicine as well.

Experts say when the human body temperature drops to 27 degrees Celsius – around 80 degrees Fahrenheit – the heart fails. But when in hibernation, a ground squirrel’s heart simply slows from around three hundred beats per minute to just a few – although crucially, it never stops.

“I'm sure there are several factors that protect this animal's heart. If we study and determine them, it may help us create new drugs against heart conditions,” says scientist Leonid Rozenshtraukh from Russian Academy of Sciences.

Scientists say the chemicals developed by ground squirrels may also be produced by other animals or even humans. So perhaps each one of us may already have the ultimate survival tool right inside our bodies, but we simply have not learned how to use it.