Science behind stowaway miracle

How could a teen sneak into the wheel well of a plane in this security-obsessed age?

But the question that’s even more puzzling to those following the Hawaiian Airlines drama is this: How did he survive?

The best suggestion seems to be that the Santa Clara, Calif., stowaway who emerged in Kahului had passed out from oxygen deprivation and slipped into something like hibernation.

When the body experiences severe cold, experts say, the body’s processes actually slow down significantly. As body temperature drops to match that of the environment, the hibernating person requires less oxygen to stay alive.

It’s not the first time. In 2000, a man survived a seven-hour trip from Tahiti to L.A. And two years ago, a Swedish man trapped by snow in his car "hibernated" for two months. Miracles do happen, if the science is right.

First, run analysis on autism costs

Lawmakers should listen to the state budget director and run the numbers before considering a bill that would require health insurers to cover specific treatments for autism patients.

One estimate puts the cost of providing such treatment at $1 billion, an amount sure to lead to higher insurance premiums for all payers. In testimony opposing the measure, Budget Director Kalbert Young rightly noted that an independent actuarial analysis of the measure’s impact should be done before lawmakers vote on the matter — not after.