Scientists in the Netherlands were able to make mice fat just by exposing them to 24 hours a day of artificial light. The fat mice didn’t eat more or exercise less than their thin counterparts – the main difference the researchers observed was in the activity of a substance called brown fat, which, counterintuitively, functions as a kind of furnace that mammals use to burn dietary fat and turn it into body heat.
The findings, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may explain the surprising connections that have turned up between light exposure and obesity in humans. And it adds new understanding to the workings of brown fat – a substance that some scientists think helps explain why some people eat a lot of food and exercise very little and still stay trim.
Hey, check out all the research scientist jobs. Post your resume today!
