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.
Passerine (perching) birds make up 60% of all bird species, including some familiar Australian favorites, like the superb fairy-wren and willie wagtail. Until now, they were believed to only be capable of shallow reductions ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 7, 2026
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In Sturt National Park, near Tibooburra in central Australia where temperatures can range from freezing to nearly 50°C, there lives a small bird with a white back, forked tail and—as we've just discovered—a very clever strategy ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 3, 2026
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On a frigid April day, Brock University Professor of Biological Sciences Glenn Tattersall, then-Ph.D. student Danilo Giacometti and wildlife researcher Patrick Moldowan ventured out into Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 19, 2026
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Although honey bees have the ability to regulate hive temperatures, new research published in Ecological and Evolutionary Physiology shows that extreme summer heat can overwhelm these critical pollinators' cooling systems, ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 12, 2026
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Temperature is a key physiological factor that determines the speed of immune reactions. While this may seem obvious, it has remained largely unexplored at the single-cell level—until now. Stefan Wieser from the Institute ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 4, 2025
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The ability to sense heat protects the body from burns and injury. But how the body actually feels temperature has remained an elusive mystery. Now, Northwestern University researchers have captured a detailed look at one ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 24, 2025
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Staying cool during heat waves is challenging for small creatures, but the problem could be even more extreme for nocturnal creatures that are unable to move to cooler locations while slumbering.
Plants & Animals
Oct 16, 2025
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Tunas, billfishes, and some sharks, such as white sharks and shortfin mako sharks, have an ability known as regional endothermy, which allows them to maintain body temperatures higher than the ambient water. This ability ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 25, 2025
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Hearing a baby cry can trigger a range of responses in adults, such as sympathy, anxiety and a strong urge to help. However, new research suggests that a deeper physical reaction is also occurring. A baby's cry, particularly ...
How do you cool yourself on a hot day? Perhaps you find shade, switch on a fan or retreat to air conditioning? But spare a thought for tropical forest trees. As the climate warms, they must either adjust to the heat, adapt ...
Ecology
Sep 6, 2025
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