Labs / Biology
Thermoregulation
Drag the environment thermometer to plunge the body into the Arctic or the desert, then push its activity up. The body senses how far its core has drifted from 37°C and fights back with shivering, sweating, and changes in skin blood flow. Switch those responses off one at a time to see the negative-feedback loop break down.
Core 37.00 °CGain 0 WLoss 0 WResponse Balanced
What to try
- In the Arctic, why does the skin turn pale and blue before the body starts to shiver?
- Turn off vasoconstriction in the cold. How far does the core fall, and can shivering alone hold the line at 37°C?
- Crank activity to a sprint in the desert. Which response does the body lean on hardest to dump all that extra heat?
- Disable sweating on a hot day. How quickly does the core climb toward the danger zone > 40°C?
- When gain and loss finally match, where does the core settle — exactly on the set point, or a little above or below it? What does that say about feedback control?