Shivering combats hypothermia because heat is a byproduct of metabolism. Shivering makes your muscles contract quickly and warms you up.*
Exercise warms you up for the same reason. So yesterday I walked all over Xi'an carrying all of my stuff on my back, and I didn't even break a sweat! I am now in dire need of a massage, though.
My favorite part of yesterday was an area called the Muslim quarter. It's an area full of Muslim Chinese and the sights and smells were delightful.
I met up with Ariel's Couchsurfing friend and I'm having a good chilly time. I finally bought a warm hat, next I need good socks and pants.
*SCIENCE AHEAD*
there is actually a protein in mitochondria which looks like a big rotor which uses ATP to generate heat. Its name is thermophilin if I recall.
Whales' eyeball cells have tons of mitochondria to keep them from freezing in the ocean depths. Also, their bodies are so well insulated that they can cook themselves from swimming. To vent heat, they shunt warm blood to vessels in their fins close to the frigid water, just like when our faces turn red during exercise.
The more you know...
Exercise warms you up for the same reason. So yesterday I walked all over Xi'an carrying all of my stuff on my back, and I didn't even break a sweat! I am now in dire need of a massage, though.
My favorite part of yesterday was an area called the Muslim quarter. It's an area full of Muslim Chinese and the sights and smells were delightful.
I met up with Ariel's Couchsurfing friend and I'm having a good chilly time. I finally bought a warm hat, next I need good socks and pants.
*SCIENCE AHEAD*
there is actually a protein in mitochondria which looks like a big rotor which uses ATP to generate heat. Its name is thermophilin if I recall.
Whales' eyeball cells have tons of mitochondria to keep them from freezing in the ocean depths. Also, their bodies are so well insulated that they can cook themselves from swimming. To vent heat, they shunt warm blood to vessels in their fins close to the frigid water, just like when our faces turn red during exercise.
The more you know...
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