So I built a stegosaurus model kit, which included some factoids in the instructions. One of these factoids was that stegosaurs are not believed to have had a secondary brain in the hips to help them control their rear half after all. That was wild to me, since the whole stegosaurs and sauropods with their tiny heads needing a secondary brain for their huge bodies was commonly accepted back when I was a kid. So I looked it up, and indeed, the current hypothesis is that the cavity that the second brain was thought to occupy is used for a thing called a glycogen body. But what exactly does a glycogen body do? We’ll get back to you on that, apparently.

  • NOT_RICK@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Glycogen is an energy storage molecule that is more easily accessible (easier to convert into glucose, what your cells actually burn) by the body than fat is. I would assume this organ was a dedicated store for it.

    Edit: ah that’s what I get for commenting before reading the damn article. Scientists haven’t confirmed that it’s definitely an energy storage organ, but it’s one of the leading theories.