{"id":14643,"date":"2025-05-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=14643"},"modified":"2025-05-26T17:15:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T17:15:33","slug":"lithium-carbon-dioxide-batteries-co2-capture-energy-storage-may-2025-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/lithium-carbon-dioxide-batteries-co2-capture-energy-storage-may-2025-2\/","title":{"rendered":"From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs \u2212 how Mother Nature\u2019s cure offers humans a lesson on\u00a0fever"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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\n Sick animals often move to warmer places to raise their body temperature.\n GK Hart\/Vikki Hart\/Stone via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Phil Starks<\/a>, Tufts University<\/a><\/em> and Harry Bernheim<\/a>, Tufts University<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

Why do people get fevers when we get sick? <\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s a common misconception that pathogens<\/a>, such as SARS-CoV-2 or the flu, cause fevers. But as biology<\/a> professors<\/a>, we know it\u2019s not that simple. Pathogens cause fevers only indirectly.<\/p>\n\n

When your immune system detects harmful microbes, your body raises its internal temperature to create a hostile environment<\/a>. Turning up the heat suppresses the proliferation of invaders. In short, the fever is the body\u2019s way of fighting back.<\/p>\n\n

Although many people don\u2019t understand fever\u2019s purpose, animals certainly utilize it. Even so-called \u201csimple creatures,\u201d such as lizards<\/a>, fish and insects, use fever to recover from illness<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

The body\u2019s response<\/h2>\n\n

Suppose you catch a virus. The immune system responds by releasing molecules called pyrogens<\/a>, which induce fever. They signal the brain\u2019s hypothalamus<\/a> to raise the body\u2019s set point temperature \u2013 like adjusting a thermostat. <\/p>\n\n

Normal body temperature<\/a> hovers around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius), but fevers commonly increase temperatures<\/a> to 100.4-104 F (38-40 C). <\/p>\n\n

When that happens, your muscles contract, causing shivers<\/a>, and blood vessels constrict to retain heat. You\u2019ll feel cold until your body reaches the new set point, often prompting you to add clothes or snuggle into blankets. When the infection subsides, pyrogens decrease and the hypothalamus resets the temperature. You sweat, your blood vessels dilate, and you cool off<\/a>. You\u2019re feeling better.<\/p>\n\n

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\n There\u2019s a reason why you shiver when you have a fever.<\/span>\n Edwin Tan\/E+ via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Mammals, lizards, fish and insects<\/h2>\n\n

Humans are not special in this regard; all mammals are capable of generating fevers. Even without taking their temperature, you might recognize the signs in a familiar companion<\/a>. When dogs have a fever, they often lose their appetite, become lethargic and may shiver \u2212 behaviors that closely resemble how people respond when they\u2019re running a fever. <\/p>\n\n

This adaptive response to infection is widespread in nature. Even cold-blooded animals, which rely on the environment for warmth, raise their temperature behaviorally<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

Lizards move to warmer areas when sick<\/a>. If they\u2019re blocked from doing so \u2212 or given fever-reducing drugs \u2212 their survival rates drop. Zebrafish swim to warmer waters during infection<\/a>; a rise of just 5.4 F (3 C) correlates with improved gene expression, stronger antiviral responses and higher survival. Naked mole rats \u2013 a social, subterranean cold-blooded mammal<\/a> that looks like a hot dog with teeth \u2013 generate fevers<\/a> in response to infection, despite their unusual physiology.<\/p>\n\n

Insects, too, show remarkable responses. Desert locusts<\/a> elevate their body temperature when infected, doing so in a dose-dependent manner: more pathogen, higher temperature. This behavior increases their chance of survival and reproduction.<\/p>\n\n

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\n Honeybees have a unique way of fighting a fever.<\/span>\n Joannis S. Duran\/Moment via Getty Images<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

Honeybees are among the most sophisticated<\/a>. These social insects regulate brood temperature with extraordinary precision, keeping it between 90-95 F (32-35 C). They warm the hive by contracting flight muscles and cool it by fanning wings, sometimes spreading water on the comb to induce evaporative cooling<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

If their larvae<\/a> are exposed to heat-sensitive fungal spores<\/a>, the colony raises the temperature \u2212 essentially giving itself a fever<\/a>. The increased heat prevents spore germination and protects the next generation. Once the threat has passed, the bees restore their normal hive temperature.<\/p>\n\n

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