Human Variation & Race

1. Select only ONE of the following environmental stresses:  (a) heat, (b) high levels of solar radiation, (c) cold, or (d) high altitude.  Discuss specifically how this environmental stress negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis.

A: Heat is an environmental stress that negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. With heat can bring heat rashes, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke. Heat rashes occur when the sweat glands become clogged from too much sweating or not enough circulation to the area. Heat exhaustion may occur after you’ve been exposed to high temperatures for several days and have developed dehydration. Heatstroke is caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures or by doing physical activity in hot weather. You are considered to have a heatstroke when your body temperature reaches 104 F or higher.

2. Identify 4 ways in which humans have adapted to this stress, choosing one specific adaptation from each of the different types of adaptations listed above (short term, facultative, developmental and cultural).  Include images of the adaptations.

A: A Short Term Adaptation for heat is sweating. It’s the body’s way of trying to cool itself down. You just need to make sure to replenish the water and electrolytes you’re losing.

A Facultative Adaptation for heat is skin tone, with a darker skin tone you can absorb the heat, and with a lighter skin tone you reflect the heat. Why when you’re wearing black in the summer you’re warmer than if you’re wearing white. But it’s harder to change the color of you skin than it is a shirt.

A Developmental Adaptation for heat is bipedalism, when standing on only two legs we are less exposed to the heat from the sun, it hits less surface area on us. It also enabled our skin to have more contact with cooler and faster moving breezes.

 A Cultural Adaptation for heat is air conditioning, we as humans came up with the best thing ever to beat the heat. There’s nothing better than sitting in a cool room, when it’s 110 F outside. We have also modified our clothing to be the bare minimum when it gets hot outside.

 3. What are the benefits of studying human variation from this perspective across environmental clines?  Can information from explorations like this be useful to help us in any way?  Offer one example of how this information can be used in a productive way. 

A: The benefit of studying heat on human variation helps us to figure out how to adapt to our environment. We know how to deal with heat. We avoid it, embrace it, or tolerate it. We know we have to stay hydrated and protected so we aren’t harmed by it. Yet people still are. We’ve come up with air conditioners, shade structures, buildings, light clothing, swimming pools, etc.

4. How would you use race to understand the variation of the adaptations you listed in #2?  Explain why the study of environmental influences on adaptations is a better way to understand human variation than by the use of race. 

A: You can’t really use race to understand the variation of the adaptations. Race is any people united by common history, language, and cultural traits. Not skin color. Environmental influences on adaptations lead to solid non-racial reasons for why people have become the way they are.