The extinct megalodon shark, Otodus megalodon, has captured the imagination of the public and paleontologists for over a century. This ancient shark, estimated to be the size of a modern whale shark or larger (~15…
Even fish sometimes hold their breath in cold, dark, deep water. Scalloped hammerhead sharks living near Hawaii spend their days basking in warm surface waters. But at night, these fish hunt for squid and other…
In the mountains of southern Spain, one type of thistle plant seems to have built-in air conditioning. The flowers of the thistle Carlina corymbosa are, on average, about 3 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding…
Every summer, beaches around the world fill up with sprawled-out sunbathers, but humans aren’t the only ones who make it a point to soak in the sun. Across the animal kingdom, creatures big and small…
Prachtig boek over thermoregulatie in ons dagelijks leven van Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt. Van rillen tot zweten beschrijft aan de hand van praktische voorbeelden en anekdotes hoe ons lichaam zijn temperatuur reguleert. Zo lees je…
The humble honeybee can control temperature in astounding ways — from keeping the hive cool during heat waves to cooking their enemies alive. Read whole article >>
Energetic constraints of flight and thermoregulation have long been thought to explain why most bat species are small and live predominantly in warm latitudes. We use physical models to investigate how body size, wing shape,…
Many mammal species living in cold climates tend to have large bodies and short limbs to reduce heat loss – a general pattern known as Bergmann’s rule. However, bats are the exception to the rule,…
While much of the nation is sweltering under the summer’s intense heat, have you ever wondered how we humans and other animals stay cool when it’s so hot outside? The simple answer is sweating for…
Thermoregulation is the biological mechanism responsible for maintaining a steady internal body temperature. The thermoregulation system includes the hypothalamus in the brain, as well as the sweat glands, skin, and circulatory system. Lees het hele…