Multiple thermal images of hands from the study, showing a range of different temperatures among volunteers who took part in the study. Image credit: University of Cambridge
In the first study of its kind, Cambridge biological anthropologists have shown that muscle mass is able to predict the rate of heat loss from the hands during severe cold exposure, while body mass, stature and fat mass do not.
According to Stephanie Payne, lead author of the study published this week in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, “Hands have a large surface area-to-volume ratio, which can be a challenge to maintaining thermal balance in cold conditions. We wanted to study the influence of body size and body composition on heat loss and rewarming in the hands to determine whether they affect hand temperature and dexterity in cold conditions.”
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