Popular Mechanics - USA (2020-07)

Science

40°F

100°F

97.5°F

98.4°F

98.2°F

Why Our

Bodies

Have Gotten

Colder With

Each Passing

Decade

S

INCE THE GERMAN PHYSICIAN CARL

Reinhold August Wunderlich published

his research on human body tempera-

t ure in 1868, 98.6 degrees Fa hrenheit

has been the gold standard. Now scien-

tists say that number may be inaccurate.

Thanks to improved health outcomes—

meaning people are generally healthier and

getting better overall medical treatment—the

average human body temperature has fallen grad-

ually over time.

“Much as we have changed the Earth ecosys-

tem, we are changing our own ecosystems,” says ▶

Body temperature
fluctuates throughout
the day and is often
higher in the afternoon.

GE

TT

Y^ I

MA

GE

S

// BY CAROLINE DELBERT //

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