It seems that an interesting and useful new medical technology is in the works...
This article from CNN's site will give you the details. In short, small amounts of Hydrogen Sulfide gas can be used to tremendously lower the metabolism of lab mice, something on the order of 90%.
This reduction results in inducing hypothermia (a technique already being used in some operations today) and by greatly lowering oxygen/energy requirements of the subject. Merely supplying fresh air is enough to bring the subject back to normal metabolism. The principal application being looked at currently would be allowing people who are recieving organ transplants to survive waiting for a longer period of time. It would also seem that one of the staples of sci-fi, induced hybernation, is drawing a bit closer to becoming a reality.
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