Beige fat cells are the switch-hitters of fat. Most of the time they store fat, but in the cold they can switch on and make heat!
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Beige fat cells live mixed in with ordinary white fat, the fat that stores energy. Some of them are found in the fat under the skin.
When things are warm, a beige fat cell looks a lot like a white fat cell, with one big drop of fat. When it switches on, it breaks the fat into smaller drops and builds lots of mitochondria.
Beige is a mix of white and brown. That's a good name, because these cells are partway between white fat cells and brown fat cells!
When your body stays cold for a while, beige fat cells can switch on. Like brown fat, they burn fat to make heat that helps keep you warm.
When it warms up again, they can switch back to storing fat. Scientists are still learning how this switch works.
Scroll up to the 3D model and press Brrr! Cold to switch the cell into heater mode.