Body temperature regulation, or thermoregulation, is the biological process by which organisms maintain internal body temperature within a physiologically optimal range despite external or internal thermal perturbations. In homeothermic animals, this involves coordinated neural, endocrine, and autonomic mechanisms centered primarily in the hypothalamus, which integrates thermal sensory input from peripheral and core thermoreceptors. Effectors include changes in blood flow (vasodilation and vasoconstriction), sweating or panting, shivering thermogenesis, non-shivering thermogenesis (e.g., brown adipose tissue activity), and behavioral responses such as seeking shade or warmth. Thermoregulation is critical for enzymatic function, metabolic homeostasis, and overall organismal survival.
Fever is one of the best-known mechanisms by which animals combat infectious diseases. Sick animals can increase their body temperature in two ways: through physiological regulation, by altering internal metabolic processes, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 10, 2026
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Warm weather often means more time outside with your pets, but higher temperatures also increase the risk of heat stress, which occurs when an animal's body cannot properly cool itself, causing its core temperature to rise.
Veterinary medicine
Jul 24, 2026
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New research involving Queen Mary University of London reveals that amphibians can change what they eat to cope with rising temperatures, but that this natural survival strategy has limits.
Plants & Animals
Jul 14, 2026
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Another week of blistering heat will bring even more health risks in the coming days, as overnight temperatures won't provide much relief.
Environment
Jul 14, 2026
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The summer heat can be unrelenting, sending pets who usually run straight to their owners after being outside in search of their water bowls instead. Rehydrating after playtime is important, so if a pet does not have proper ...
Veterinary medicine
Jul 9, 2026
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Tens of millions of Americans sweltered under furnace-like temperatures Tuesday as central and eastern cities hunkered down for a heat wave set to last through the July 4 holiday weekend.
Environment
Jun 30, 2026
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Heat can be dangerous, but health experts say there are ways to manage the threat.
Environment
Jun 30, 2026
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In a novel experiment at the University of Cincinnati, researchers recently isolated kissing bugs, fruit flies, mosquitoes and spider beetles in a climate- and light-controlled environment and found that they responded predictably ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 22, 2026
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With the release of "Disclosure Day," Steven Spielberg's new film about aliens, a question as old as science fiction itself resurfaces: If aliens were to arrive on Earth, would they come to conquer us, to study us ... or ...
Astrobiology
Jun 21, 2026
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When temperatures rise, sleep often suffers. Hot nights can make it harder to fall asleep, increase waking during the night and leave people feeling less rested the next day.
Environment
Jun 20, 2026
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