Biophysics - Body Temperature Regulation

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No.2

🌡️ Body Temperature Regulation: Thermodynamics of Homeostasis.

Just like how we can simply control the temperature of the room, our body also has specific systems that control its temperature, and thermoregulation is the body’s biophysical thermostat.

Our body is an open system which means that it is constantly exchanging heat and energy with the outside environment, but it still maintains a stable core temperature of approximately 37℃. Let’s explore together the biophysics behind this phenomenon!

The food we eat and drink is like the fuel which our body turns into energy and heat, through a process called Metabolism. When our body generates energy or ATP (especially in muscles, the brain, and liver) by metabolism, it produces larger amounts than it needs, so the excess energy is released as heat. There are several mechanisms in which the body can lose heat, it can do this by conduction (physical contact), convection (heat carried by air or liquid), radiation (heat sent as invisible rays), and evaporation (sweating). When the body’s sensors detect change in the environment, the body responds to this change with some mechanisms like sweating, shivering, and blood vessels adjustments, which concludes that thermoregulation depends on negative feedback. This process and the continuous energy regulation makes the body sustain internal order resisting entropy. Although this seems systematic and well-arranged it still has limits, extreme temperatures, either low or high, disrupts enzyme functions, putting the human body at risk of hypothermia (too cold), and hyperthermia (too hot).

🧪 Now let’s apply this in real life with a fun experiment!

All you need is:

  • Two thermostats.
  • Two identical pieces of cloth (could be paper towels).
  • Water.
  • Fan (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Wrap one thermostat in a dry cloth and the other in a damp one.
  2. Put both of them in the same room (the same environment).
  3. OPTIONAL: Direct a fan at the materials to simulate wind.
  4. Wait a few minutes then compare temperatures.

At the end of this experiment you will be aware of how sweating cools the body through evaporation– heat energy is taken from the skin to evaporate water.

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