The key to fighting weight gain may, ironically, be a type of adipose tissue called brown fat. White fat, the other type of adipose tissue, stores energy instead of using it, and appears on the body as bulging thighs, hanging stomachs, and "back fat." Brown fat, which is found mostly in newborns and hibernating animals, is unique. Instead of storing calories in the form of fat, says Time, it does just the opposite — it generates body heat and burns calories.

Researchers have just recently discovered that adults have stores of brown fat, and understanding them may lead to future weight-loss treatments. To read the Time story — Go Here Now.