Biology question

[Jaged]

We are studying the circulatory system in biology and how it helps maintain homeostasis. The teacher mentioned that when you get cold blood rushes to the core of your body to keep your vital organs warm. I then asked why your nose gets red when your cold. Wouldn't a red flesh be the result of excess blood? And I highly doubt that the nose is considered the important enough to rush blood to when your body is trying to keep itself from freezing to death. She was not able to answer this question, and offered extra credit if I found the answer. Could anyone here help me out?

Another question a student asked was why you get a burning sensation in your hands when they get cold for prolonged periods of time. She was not able to answer this either. Anyone know?

[ChewyLSB]

No matter where you bleed, you will bleed red, this is because as soon as the red blood cells get exposed to air, they become oxygenated. That's why you always bleed red, and never clear blood.

[Jaged]

Originally Posted by ChewyLSB

No matter where you bleed, you will bleed red, this is because as soon as the red blood cells get exposed to air, they become oxygenated. That's why you always bleed red, and never clear blood.

did you even read my post?

I asked why your nose gets red in cold temperatures.

[ChewyLSB]

Haha, whoops, I thought you were asking why your nose bled red... wow, do I feel stupid now...

[ZeusCali]

lol i've been searching on google with varing questions but i can't seem to find non-illness results. Does ones nose actually turn red when it's cold? i thought that's only in sexual arrousal and embarassment. cold hands burning i'd think would be related to the pain not truely the heat. More of the body trying to let you know ofthe danger of frostbite. But give me a second i'll try asking my father.

--edit. Okay myfather isn't sure either but believes that the nose becomes red becomes the body is trying to keep itself warm. Blood is therefore pumped to the nose to attempt to keep it warm. Aswell as the nose being far out from the body. Making it more colder.
conclusion cold makes the nose red because the body is attempting to prevent the nose from freezing.

[Jaged]

Your fathers explination directly contradicts what we learned in class. The body draws blood into its core when cold to keep your vital organs working. As a result other parts of your body (nose included) should have less blood. Trying to keep your nose warm would be a useless waste of heat, and I doubt the body is that stupid.

[EarlyDawn]

Your nose and other extremities turn red because the body pumps blood to them. As for the exact reason, I confess I don't know off the top of my head. It does seem logical that the "core elements" would be protected first, but I would guess the logic is to "Hold the walls" as opposed to the keep; keep the extremities warm and the core won't be in danger.

[Incompetent]

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

Your nose and other extremities turn red because the body pumps blood to them. As for the exact reason, I confess I don't know off the top of my head. It does seem logical that the "core elements" would be protected first, but I would guess the logic is to "Hold the walls" as opposed to the keep; keep the extremities warm and the core won't be in danger.

Sounds about right, defense against frostbite, your body will stay relatively warm by default, but if your fingers (and to a lesser extent, your nose) fall off your fucked.

Edit: sacrifice heat in the short term to maintain functionality in the long term (i.e. the rest of your life.)

[Jaged]

Originally Posted by Incompetent

Sounds about right, defense against frostbite, your body will stay relatively warm by default, but if your fingers (and to a lesser extent, your nose) fall off your fucked.

You can survive with out a nose. Lets see you live with out a heart.

[Incompetent]

Survive without fingers when you have to hunt for your own food, and your nose is right next to, you know, your brain, which I would assume you want to keep warm too.

[Jaged]

Originally Posted by Incompetent

Survive without fingers when you have to hunt for your own food, and your nose is right next to, you know, your brain, which I would assume you want to keep warm too.

Either way, the heart is more important then your fingers no matter how you cut it. Frozen heart=insta-gib. However your second explination is logical. I would still think the body would be able to distinghush between the two and not waste precious heat keeping your nose warm.

[Jaged]

That still dosen't make sence. Take a desert rabbit for example. It funnels blood through its ears to loose heat and cool off. Flowing excess blood to your extremeties would have the same effect on your body and cool off the rest of you. Not to mention the entire point of todays lesson in class was that the body lets your limbs get cold first in an effort to keep your vital organs running.

[Mango]

Panda magic

[EarlyDawn]

Core area is naturally warm as a part of it's internal processes. You get frostbite on your extremities, and you can die of infection, ect.

[EarlyDawn]

But once again, as he explained, your core is naturally warm. Why do you think you feel cold on your feet, hands, and head first, instead of your chest or pelvic reigon? Because they're not nautrally heated with the same degree of efficiency as your torso.