When I first saw this article, I assumed it was written by some PETA shill, based on its blurb in the RSS feed:
Most of the mammals in the north change into a denser and deeper winter coat by late fall. Man survives by taking his coat from them.
I assumed the article would continue with graphic depictions of how these poor northern mammals suffered for coats. While it did not, the article still left me unsatisfied. Its conclusions seemed to be this:
1. It is cold in the winter.
2. Humans bundle up when it is cold, in the winter.
3. In prehistoric times, when humans could not bundle up as well, they slept, when it was cold, in the winter.
4. Nowadays, I bundle up and drink coffee, when it is cold, in the winter.
Nice, but not the genius I expect from the New York Times Opinion page. I am sure Professor Heinrich is a good teacher, but the article he wrote is far from the ground-breaking work I expect from an emeritus professor, even if he is from the University of Vermont.