Which of the following organs maintain body temperature?

The skin plays a crucial role in maintaining body temperature through several mechanisms. As the body's largest organ, it helps regulate temperature by acting as a barrier and through its ability to sweat and dilate blood vessels.

When the body temperature rises, the sweat glands in the skin produce sweat. As sweat evaporates from the skin's surface, it cools the body. Additionally, when the body becomes too warm, the blood vessels in the skin dilate in a process known as vasodilation, allowing more blood to flow close to the surface where heat can be released. Conversely, when the body is cold, the blood vessels constrict (vasoconstriction) to retain heat.

Other options also play contributing roles in the body's overall physiology. For example, the brain regulates temperature by sending signals to initiate sweating or shivering but does not directly manage temperature like the skin does. The lungs are involved in gas exchange and can affect temperature through the air we breathe but are not direct regulators of body temperature. The heart circulates blood throughout the body, which can influence temperature distribution, but it also does not have the primary role in temperature regulation that the skin does. Thus, the skin's active processes and its interaction with the environment are central to how the