@article{1478231,
      recid = {1478231},
      author = {Blumberg, Mark S., },
      title = {Body Heat : Temperature and Life on Earth /},
      pages = {1 online resource (256 p.)},
      abstract = {Whether you're a polar bear giving birth to cubs in an  Arctic winter, a camel going days without water in the  desert heat, or merely a suburbanite without air  conditioning in a heat wave, your comfort and even survival  depend on how well you adapt to extreme temperatures. In  this entertaining and illuminating book, biopsychologist  Mark Blumberg explores the many ways that temperature rules  the lives of all animals (including us). He moves from the  physical principles that govern the flow of heat in and out  of our bodies to the many complex evolutionary devices  animals use to exploit those principles for their own  benefit. In the process Blumberg tells wonderful stories of  evolutionary and scientific ingenuity--how penguins  withstand Antarctic winters by huddling together by the  thousands, how vulnerable embryos of many species are to  extremes of temperature during their development, why  people survive hour-long drowning accidents in winter but  not in summer, how certain plants generate heat (the skunk  cabbage enough to melt snow around it). We also hear of  systems gone awry--how desert species given too much water  can drink themselves into bloated immobility, why anorexics  often complain of feeling cold, and why you can't sleep if  the room is too hot or too cold. After reading this book,  you'll never look at a thermostat in quite the same way  again. Table of Contents: Introduction 1. Temperature: A  User's Guide 2. Behave Yourself 3. Then Bake at 98.6Ã,°F  for 400,000 Minutes 4. Everything in Its Place 5. Cold New  World 6. Fever All through the Night 7. The Heat of Passion  8. Livin' off the Fat 9. The Light Goes Out Epilogue  Bibliography Acknowledgments Index Reviews of this book:  There's a little twinkle in Mark Blumberg's eye as he  explains the role of temperature in life on Earth, that  essential gleam that makes books about science successful  and appealing.His writing is clear, a fine balance of  explanation, example and ideas.--Susan Salter Reynolds, Los  Angeles Times Book ReviewReviews of this book: The need to  maintain body temperature within a narrow range is the  biggest single influence on physiology and behaviour, as  Mark Blumberg explains in this little gem of a book, Body  Heat.Blumberg describes the exquisite mechanisms developed  by different species to generate, conserve or lose body  heat.--John Bonner, New ScientistReviews of this book: This  is one of those books that leaves you for a few heady days  in possession of a new key to all mysteries. Written  entertainingly for a popular audience, the book argues that  the evolved behaviour and physical characteristics of most  creatures, from the tiniest nematode worm to the largest  whale, is governed by the need to maintain a comfortable  body temperature.--Emma Crichton-Miller, The  TelegraphReviews of this book: Blumberg.presents a  thoroughly interesting book on body temperature and its  many influences, loaded with a marvelously broad range of  topics related to the biology of body temperature. From  structural adaptations, such as ear size, circulatory  patterns, and body shape that have evolved to help maintain  body temperature, to psychological effects of temperature,  the physiology of fevers, and even sexual-thermal metaphors  used in everyday conversation. A host of fascinating  aspects of how species respond to temperature changes are  also discussed.Body Heat is great reading, certain to  produce an enlightened appreciation for how body  temperature control is critical for all organisms.--M. A.  Palladino, ChoiceReviews of this book: Mark S. Blumberg, in  Body Heat, also takes the role of temperature in human  affairs onto a global stage, but his metaphors, languages  and conclusions are neither biblical nor prophetic. Instead  he wants to remind us just how narrow our margins of  tolerance are against that ultimate enemy: cold.Blumberg  loves his subject, is convinced of its importance, and he  wants to put across the intrinsic interest of temperature  physiology to a larger audience. He retains a light  touch--and because he is an active researcher in his own  right, is able to bring new information and new insights to  his pages.--Jonathan Kingdon, Times Literary SupplementThis  book is a real treat. Mark Blumberg takes something we  normally hardly think about, and makes it into a  fascinating topic, with colorful examples from fields as  disparate as etymology and entomology. You probably will be  repeating many of the stories he tells to those around you,  as you discover why a fever may be good for you, or how  babies generate their own heat, or how eating disorders  interact with body temperature problems. It's entertaining,  interesting, and great fun.--Michael Leon, University of  California, IrvineThis is an engaging enchilada of a book,  wrapping up cold feet, a warm heart, hot sex, and chili  peppers, for easy digestion by the general science  consumer. Delicious!--Bernd Heinrich, University of  Vermont, and author of The Hot-Blooded Insects: Strategies  and Mechanisms of Thermoregulation},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/1478231},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674023765},
}