Why is it an advantage for humans to have a constant body temperature of 37 degree C?

Answer 1

All sorts of factors affect the suitability of the human body fluids to sustain life; these include properties like temperature, salinity, and acidity, and the concentrations of nutrients such as glucose, various ions, oxygen, and wastes, such as carbon dioxide and urea. Since these properties affect the chemical reactions that keep bodies alive, there are built-in physiological mechanisms to maintain them at desirable levels.

There are limits both of heat and cold that a warm-blooded animal can bear, and other far wider limits that a cold-blooded animal may endure and yet live. The effect of too extreme a cold is to lessen metabolism, and hence to lessen the production of heat. Both catabolic and anabolic changes share in the depression, and though less energy is used up, still less energy is generated. This diminished metabolism tells first on the central nervous system, especially the brain and those parts concerned in consciousness. Both heart rate and respiration rate become diminished, drowsiness supervenes, becoming steadily deeper until it passes into the sleep of death. Occasionally, however, convulsions may set in towards the end, and a death somewhat similar to that of asphyxia takes place.

On the other hand, too high a temperature hurries on the metabolism of the various tissues at such a rate that their capital is soon exhausted. Blood that is too warm produces dyspnea and soon exhausts the metabolic capital of the respiratory centre. Heart rate is increased, the beats then become arrhythmic and finally cease. The central nervous system is also profoundly affected, consciousness may be lost, and the patient falls into a comatose condition, or delirium and convulsions may set in. All these changes can be watched in any patient suffering from an acute fever. The lower limit of temperature that man can endure depends on many things, but no one can survive a temperature of 45°C (113°F) or above for very long. Mammalian muscle becomes rigid with heat rigor at about 50°C, and obviously should this temperature be reached the sudden rigidity of the whole body would render life impossible.

Answer 2

They don't have a constant body temperature of 37C (98.6F). It constantly cycles up and down, it is strongest in the afternoon and weakest when you first wake up. But it is always changing, 37C/98.6F is just an average temperature. The main advantage is that humans aren't limited in places they can be (where the sun is so that they can stay warm). Anything cold-blooded (unable to control their temperature) is stuck having to stay near a place where they can get to the sun quickly so that they don't freeze, or to shade quickly so they don't overheat. But humans can go to a lot of places cold-blooded creatures can't, because their bodies can regulate their own temperature.

Answer 3

Our body temperature allows us to remain functional in cold weather, which makes us different from the "cold-blooded" creatures such as insects, reptiles, and amphibians.

Conversely, a temperature of 37.5 C or 98.6F is not always an advantage. When we are ill, our temperature rises in order to kill the germs.

BTW---37.5 or 98.6 is not necessarily "normal". It is the average human temperature. Some people are normally a little warmer or a little colder like me. When my temp hits 37.5, I have a fever.

Answer 4

Maintaining body temp. within a set range is also important for protein folding. If your temp goes too low or too high proteins within your body will not be able to fold properly (or will denature) and be unable to perform normal functions.

Another reason to maintain a set temp. is so that the millions of essential bacteria living within the body will continue to grow and divide. What would you do without vitamin K?

Answer 5

This is an easy one. If the world gets too hot, we've proven that we can survive it because the "Cradles of Civilization" were in hot, dry areas. If the world gets cold, then we've already proven that we can withstand ice ages, and that's without any "high" technology. If the world gets overpopulated, it will, out of necessity, balance itself out. I don't think we need to worry about surviving the next 100 years. The real question is how to we keep the next 100 years from becoming the next Dark Age.

Answer 6

coz if the body temprature goes bellow that level the metabolic reactions of the body will slow down
nd even if the temprature goes higher than that
the metabolic reactions of the body will slow down or it will come to a rest
so the normall body temrature is the optium temrature at which the body will have its metabolic reactions runnin rite.