Are Human Body Temperatures Cooling Down?

Trouble viewing? View in your browser. View all Scientific American publications.

             

January 17, 2020

Dear Reader, We're getting cooler. A new study argues that 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, generally accepted as the normal human body temperature, is antiquated. So, do researchers have a more accurate number? And what does the change mean for determining whether or not you have a fever? Today's lead story explains what you need to know. Our body temperature may have dropped, but we know the planet is still warming. Climate change is altering ocean conditions around the world, threatening marine habitats and species. A group of experts make the case for a dynamic approach to conservation: movable marine sanctuaries. And lastly, read the latest updates on CRISPR technology. New findings provide scientists with a toolkit for keeping the gene editing system in check.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

The Body Are Human Body Temperatures Cooling Down? A new study finds that they have dropped, on average, over the past century and a half By Karen Weintraub

Conservation To Conserve Marine Species, Make Protected Areas Mobile Because climate change is shifting ocean ecosystems, sanctuaries need to shift with them, experts argue By Chelsea Harvey,E&E News

Biology "Birdbrain" Turns from Insult to Praise   Some avian species use tools and can recognize themselves in the mirror. How do tiny brains pull off such big feats? By Onur Güntürkün

Medical & Biotech Kill Switch for CRISPR Could Make Gene Editing Safer Anti-CRISPR proteins could bolster biosecurity and improve medical treatments By Elie Dolgin,Nature magazine

Evolution This Fish Knows How to Stick Around The remora clings to other fish—and appears to use an unusual sense of touch to do so. Christopher Intagliata reports.  By Christopher Intagliata | 02:15

Biology Poetry: Maria Sibylla Merian, January 1670 By Diane Ackerman

FROM THE STORE Mathematics in the 21st Century One of the most powerful tools in the science arsenal, mathematics allows scientists across disciplines to test hypotheses about the real world. In this eBook, we look at important recent advances in the field and examine the role of modeling and statistical analysis in understanding biology, physics, politics and more.

ADVERTISEMENT

FROM THE ARCHIVE Infographic: Normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, right? Not so. Healthy body temps are surprisingly lower By Mark Fischetti

QUOTE OF THE DAY "We've changed in height, weight--and we're colder. I don't really know what [the new measurements] mean in terms of health, but they're telling us something. They're telling us that we are changing and that what we've done in the last 150 years has made us change in ways we haven't before." Julie Parsonnet, Stanford University

WHAT WE'RE READING Even Ultra-Tough Water Bears May Be Vulnerable to Climate Change By Wired How 'spooky' is quantum physics? The answer could be incalculable By Nature Neanderthals Could Swim. They Even Dived. By The New York Times

LATEST ISSUES

Questions?   Comments?

Download the Scientific American App

To view this email as a web page, go here. You received this email because you opted-in to receive email from Scientific American. To ensure delivery please add news@email.scientificamerican.com to your address book. Unsubscribe     Manage Email Preferences     Privacy Policy     Contact Us