Brown Adipose Tissue is the fat that most newborn mammals and all ages of artic mammals have

It has the unique ability to create heat

Its color ranges from a DARK RED to a TAN

When a mammal is in a colder place its lipid reserves drop making the color darker and the opposite of course

Like I said it has the ability to make heat so it’s likely that you would think of polar animals, and you’re smart if you did

Many small arctic animals keep a hearty supply of brown fat handy for those snowy days

Some of these include foxes, rabbits, and especial mice

Mice are said to keep a supply of brown fat, usually near the kidney, throughout most of their lives

And of course, infants. All of us at one point had about 5% body weight in this fat. So much for staying warm since we all lose it after just a short period of time.

Brown Fat White Fat

Some people believe that brown fat does not simply get replaced as a baby grows older, but it loses most of the mitochondria (which gives it it’s color) and takes on the appearance and

similarities of white fat

When a human is born its body has little white fat to help retain heat

Babies are left to make heat by breaking down fat molecules into fatty acids in brown fat

However, unlike in white fat cells, these acids don’t leave the cell, instead they are broken down farther in the mitochondria

When released from the mitochondria these “former acids” are purely heat, rather than other forms of energy

When babies start eating more as they grow older white fat layers start showing up replacing the brown fat

It is proven that babies are more susceptible to cold than adults, and because of this hypothermia is a leading risk of death for infants

First of all, babies lack thermal insulation, such as white fat or fine body hair

Babies can’t move away from cold areas or put on additional layers of clothing like adults can

The nervous system of a baby is not fully developed leaving them no way to signal if they are warm or cold. Because of that they cannot shiver

Well, not exactly, but similar cells have been found in plants which help them survive through winters and frosts

The Titan Arum for example uses these kinds of cells to keep its internal temperature above 37o Celsius during winter

This cause volatile chemicals to be given off which results in a rotten meat-like smell attracting flies and that results in pollination

These cells have special proteins that uncouple the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to produce heat

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We all know obesity is at all-time high levels in America, and scientist have possibly found ways to treat it using brown fat

We all know white fat cells are stored and used as energy when needed, but brown fat actually burns calories when making heat

Scientists have started exploring ways to encourage brown fat cells to grow in adult bodies

But of course we have to think how brown fat cells could damage our bodies, since there are reasons we only have it during infancy, like how would it affect our bodies when we are already in warm climatesGo Back (Used to get back to slide 10)

Why would a plant that lives in a tropical rainforest need a brown fat like substance in it?

If scientists could put brown fat into your body, what would it do to you? Could the heat-making possibilities be harmful to you when so many people suffer from heat stroke without it?

Come up with questions to ask yourself about it?

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