The ordinary person can tell by looking at their body temperature how much heat their muscles, organs, and brain are producing. A recent study argues that our muscles have evolved a clever mechanism to keep us warm even when they aren’t working, which lends support to this hypothesis.
Researchers from the University of Queensland claim that mammals’ resting muscles generate more heat, which can subsequently be transferred to other parts of the body.
Warm-blooded mammals, like humans, and cold-blooded animals, like frogs and toads, employ the same fundamental muscle structures to generate force for posture and movement, according to Bradley Launikonis, an associate professor at the UQ School of Biomedical Science.
This study adds to our understanding of how mammals evolved and lays the groundwork for future efforts to harness our muscles’ ability to burn calories while we’re at rest.
For instance, this might help obese individuals lose weight.