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Thermoregulation allows body temperature to remain steady at around 36.5-37.5 °C (or 97.7-99.5 °F). What type of regulation makes this possible?

A. Positive feedback
B. Feed forward
C. No feedback
D. Negative feedback

Answer :

The regulation that allows body temperature to remain steady at around 36.5-37.5 °C (or 97.7-99.5 °F) is called negative feedback.

Here's a step-by-step explanation of how negative feedback helps maintain body temperature:

1. Detection of Change: Sensors in the body, such as nerve endings in the skin and brain, detect changes in body temperature.

2. Transmission: These sensors send signals to the hypothalamus in the brain, which acts as the body's thermostat.

3. Response Activation: If the hypothalamus detects that the body temperature is outside the normal range (either too high or too low), it initiates a response to bring the temperature back to the set point.

4. Example of Cooling Down: If body temperature is too high, negative feedback mechanisms such as sweating and vasodilation (widening of blood vessels) occur to dissipate heat and cool down the body.

5. Example of Warming Up: If the body temperature is too low, mechanisms like shivering and vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels) happen to generate and conserve heat.

6. Return to Set Point: Once the body temperature returns to the normal range, the hypothalamus reduces or stops the initiated processes, maintaining homeostasis.

Negative feedback is crucial because it reduces the deviation from a set point, helping maintain stability in the body’s internal environment.

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