The Fascinating Science Behind Body Temperature and Why It Matters for a Warming Planet
Cooling down is not just for athletes
Every year, athletes the world over train and sweat in scorching environments in an effort to improve endurance and skills or win a coveted roster spot. While covering the struggle to land a professional football position, writer Hunter S. Thompson quoted legendary Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, “Speed kills.” According to Davis, everything else in the game can be taught, but speed is a gift from God. Speed may give athletes an edge over slower opponents, but it’s never killed anyone on the field of play. Heat, on the other hand, has. In increasingly competitive pursuits, on a warming planet, heat is killing more and more people every year.
According to scientists, extreme weather events are likely to become more frequent and intense as a result of climate change. Five million deaths globally are attributed to extreme temperatures, with nearly 37% of heat-related deaths directly tied to climate change. Extreme cold claims more lives than extreme heat, but the balance is shifting, with heat-related deaths increasing.
While we can’t decrease outdoor temperatures in any meaningful way, managing our internal chore temperature is certainly possible. Body temperatures can vary— anywhere…
