thermogenesis

"Cold exposure is also related to thermogenesis and inflammation," the authors write.

It stands for Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis, a heavy-sounding term for light-intensity physical activity, said Dr. Jacquelyn Kulinski, an associate professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where she directs the Preventive Cardiology Program.

However, thermogenesis had not been formally investigated before.

"We were very surprised," Miyamoto recalls, "when we found that the floral organs of the P. odorifer actually generated heat. Although it was relatively easy to predict that beetles would be found in the inflorescences, we did not expect to discover floral thermogenesis, both in male and female reproductive organs."

The body employs two methods for heat production: shivering-mediated heat production by skeletal muscle and non-shivering thermogenesis by brown adipose tissue.