Abstract
Temperature strongly affects mobility and structure of all molecules in any organisms. Therefore, optimal conditioning of the internal thermal environments, i.e., body temperature regulation, is essential to life particularly in homeothermic animals. Here, I summarize the central circuitry mechanism of body temperature regulation in homeothermic animals in relation to the regulation of metabolism, which is underlain by the conditions of energy supply. Progress in “thermal biology”, which aims to integrate all biological fields by focusing on functions of temperature, will solve important questions in the functional relationship between body temperature and energy metabolism—essential for understanding homeostasis and life.
