Posted by jburk to Technology at May 26, 2004 11:31 AM

The yearling bear lay sprawled on a blanket in a central Wisconsin forest, his black furry snout pointing to the sky, as researchers sampled his blood, fat and muscle. Locked somewhere within the burly body of the slumbering bear - knocked out with anesthetic Tuesday - could be the keys to helping humans cope with obesity, heart disease and inactivity, as well as someday providing a way to send humans on a three-year journey to Mars.