Human Thermoregulation: Beyond Body Shape, Into Survival

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Research & Studies

• "Why not 35°C? Revising the global limit to human heat tolerance" by Daniel Vecellio, Matthew Huber, and W. Larry Kenney (Published June 2024) - This article revised previous estimates of human heat tolerance, finding that the actual wet bulb limit is lower than initially proposed, highlighting that skin temperature changes were overlooked.

People Mentioned

• Libby Cowgill (Anthropologist at the University of Missouri) - Leads experiments on how different bodies respond to extreme climates, focusing on thermoregulation and challenging older theories.
• Christie Ebi (Epidemiologist with the University of Washington) - Has studied heat and health for over 30 years and emphasizes the need for more specific data on thermoregulation in vulnerable groups.
• Carl Bergmann (Anatomist) - Observed in 1847 that animal species tend to be larger in colder climates.
• Joel Asaph Allen (Zoologist) - Noted in 1877 that cold-dwelling animals often have shorter appendages.
• Arthur Thomson (British Anthropologist) - Theorized in the 1920s that people in cold climates have long, narrow noses to warm and humidify inhaled air.
• Cara AuBach (Anthropologist at the University of Notre Dame) - Studies energy expenditure in extreme conditions and questions traditional assumptions about body shape and thermoregulation.
• Scott Maddox (Biological Anthropologist at the Center for Anatomical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Fort Worth) - Collaborates on the multi-year experiment investigating factors controlling thermoregulation.
• Elizabeth Chow (Biological Anthropologist at the Center for Anatomical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Fort Worth) - Collaborates on the multi-year experiment investigating factors controlling thermoregulation.
• Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt (Physiologist at Maastricht University) - Co-discovered brown fat in adults and has shown its adaptability to cold exposure and its role in metabolism.
• Ollie Jay (Physiologist at the University of Sydney) - Researches effective strategies for surviving extreme heat, capable of simulating historical heat waves in a climate chamber.
• Stephanie B. Levy (Biological Anthropologist) - Reported in early 2025 that New Yorkers experiencing lower average temperatures had more productive brown fat, suggesting bodily adjustments to climate.
• Steven Sherwood (Climate Change Researcher) - Co-authored a 2010 paper arguing that regions become uninhabitable at wet bulb temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius.
• Matthew Huber (Climate Change Researcher) - Co-authored a 2010 paper on wet bulb temperatures and later teamed up with Vecellio to predict global heat and humidity threats.
• Daniel Vecellio (Bioclimatologist at the University of Nebraska Omaha) - Involved in research that empirically tested and revised the wet bulb limits of human tolerance.
• W. Larry Kenney (Physiologist at Pennsylvania State University) - Led a lab that tested wet bulb limits in a climate chamber, contributing to the revised understanding of human heat tolerance.

Organizations & Institutions

• University of Missouri - Libby Cowgill's affiliation, where she conducts research on thermoregulation.
• University of North Texas Health Science Center - Location where Libby Cowgill's team conducts their uncomfortable experiments during the summers.
• University of Washington - Christie Ebi's affiliation, where she studies heat and health.
• University of Notre Dame - Cara AuBach's affiliation, where she studies energy expenditure in extreme conditions.
• Center for Anatomical Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Fort Worth - Collaboration point for Aubach, Cowgill, Maddox, and Chow on their multi-year experiment.
• Maastricht University - Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt's affiliation, where he researches brown fat.
• University of Sydney - Ollie Jay's affiliation, where he researches strategies for surviving extreme heat.
• Pennsylvania State University - W. Larry Kenney's affiliation, where his lab investigates human wet bulb limits.
• University of Nebraska Omaha - Daniel Vecellio's affiliation, where he conducts bioclimatological research.
• Arizona State University - Researchers from this university collaborated with Vecellio on analyzing historical weather data and heat health.

Websites & Online Resources

• Noah App - An app for listening to narrated articles from various publishers.
• news.overaudio.com - Website for the Noah app, offering narrated articles.
• notebooklm.google.com - Website for NotebookLM, an AI-first tool for organizing ideas and making connections from complex information.