Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, killing 87% of patients within five years. Previous studies have ...

"We are talking about a 0.03g difference in fat weight over a 25-30g mouse body weight," he told Live Science in an email. Because of all that fat burning, the animals' temperatures rose.

One of these tools was an imaging technique based on hydrogel that makes mouse tissues transparent. This enabled the team to trace fluorescent sensory nerves from their origin to the adipose tissue.

Both were fed high-fat mouse chow, but one group was exposed to some mild stressors—such as having their bedding replaced with a shallow pool of water—while the other was left alone.