NewsPronto

 
The Times


.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s cure offers humans a lesson on fever

  • Written by Phil Starks, Associate Professor of Biology, Tufts University
imageSick animals often move to warmer places to raise their body temperature.GK Hart/Vikki Hart/Stone via Getty Images

Why do people get fevers when we get sick?

It’s a common misconception that pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2 or the flu, cause fevers. But as biologyprofessors, we know it’s not that simple. Pathogens cause fevers only...

Read more: From furry friends to fish, turning up the heat helps animals fight germs − how Mother Nature’s...

More Articles ...

  1. Like many populist leaders, Trump accuses judges of being illegitimate obstacles to safety and democracy
  2. Golden Dome: An aerospace engineer explains the proposed nationwide missile defense system
  3. Golden Dome: An aerospace engineer explains the proposed US-wide missile defense system
  4. Israelis have a skewed view on extent of Gaza’s hunger plight − driven by censorship and media that downplay humanitarian crisis
  5. NOAA’s 2025 hurricane forecast warns of a busy season – a storm scientist explains why and what meteorologists are watching
  6. WHO is finalizing a new treaty that prepares for the next pandemic − but the US isn’t signing
  7. Young food entrepreneurs are changing the face of rural America
  8. At Cannes, decency and dress codes clash with fashion’s red carpet revolution
  9. Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength
  10. Work requirements are better at blocking benefits for low-income people than they are at helping those folks find jobs
  11. Billions of cicadas are emerging, from Cape Cod to north Georgia – here’s how and why we map them
  12. A decade after the release of ‘The Martian’ and a decade out from the world it envisions, a planetary scientist checks in on real-life Mars exploration
  13. Lifecycle of a research grant – behind the scenes of the system that funds science
  14. FDA will approve COVID-19 vaccine only for older adults and high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules
  15. What does it mean for Biden’s prostate cancer to be ‘aggressive’? A urologic surgeon explains
  16. Windows are the No. 1 human threat to birds – an ecologist shares some simple steps to reduce collisions
  17. Russia’s invasion united different parts of Ukraine against a common enemy – 3 years on, that unanimity still holds
  18. Trump treats laws as obstacles, not limits − and the only real check on his rule-breaking can come from political pressure
  19. Too much sitting increases risk of future health problems in chest pain patients – new research
  20. Why your electricity bill is so high and what Pennsylvania is doing about it
  21. Rethinking engineering education: Why focusing on learning preferences matters for diversity
  22. Israel has promised ‘basic amount’ of food into Gaza − but its policies have already created catastrophic starvation risk for millions
  23. 19th-century Catholic teachings, 21st-century tech: How concerns about AI guided Pope Leo’s choice of name
  24. Making eye contact and small talk with strangers is more than just being polite − the social benefits of psychological generosity
  25. Aristotle would scoff at Mark Zuckerberg’s suggestion that AI can solve the loneliness epidemic
  26. Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide
  27. Independence Hall, Gettysburg and – Epcot? How Reagan helped elevate Disney to America’s roster of honored patriotic sites
  28. Nonprofit news media leaders are struggling to stop leaning on the foundations that say they should branch out more
  29. The one-size-fits-all diversity training model is broken – here’s a better alternative
  30. Do photons wear out? An astrophysicist explains light’s ability to travel vast cosmic distances without losing energy
  31. An 18th-century rebellion for liberty, equality and freedom − not in France or the United States, but Ireland
  32. Teens of any age who drink alcohol with their parents’ permission drink more as young adults, new research shows
  33. How 3D printing is personalizing health care
  34. Ancient pollen reveals stories about Earth’s history, from the asteroid strike that killed the dinosaurs to the Mayan collapse
  35. Governors are leading the fight against climate change and deforestation around the world, filling a void left by presidents
  36. Cutting HIV aid means undercutting US foreign and economic interests − Nigeria shows the human costs
  37. Tomato trade dispute between the US and Mexico is boiling over again – with 21% tariffs due in July
  38. Leaders can promote gender equity without deepening polarization − here’s how
  39. Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions is a win for Turkey, too – pointing to outsized role middle powers can play in regional affairs
  40. Space tourism’s growth blurs the line between scientific and symbolic achievement – a tourism scholar explains how
  41. Believe it or not, there was a time when the US government built beautiful homes for working-class Americans to deal with a housing crisis
  42. In what order did the planets in our solar system form?
  43. H-bomb creator Richard Garwin was a giant in science, technology and policy
  44. Landing on the Moon is an incredibly difficult feat − 2025 has brought successes and shortfalls for companies and space agencies
  45. Touch can comfort and heal, but also harm − a psychologist explains why gestures don’t always land as intended
  46. Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts
  47. Cultivating obedience: Using the Justice Department to attack former officials consolidates power and deters dissent
  48. New chancellor, old constraints: Germany’s Friedrich Merz will have a hard time freeing the country from its self-imposed shackles
  49. Trump’s vision for Air Force One will turn it from the ‘Flying White House’ to a ‘palace in the sky’
  50. ‘Manu jumping’: The physics behind making humongous splashes in the pool