Human Variation and Race Blog Post

1.) The low temperature of a given climate is an environmental stress that impedes the survivability of the human race. Cold temperatures lead to a tax on the human body. Humans need to remain consistently warm with the average body temperature being 98 degrees Fahrenheit. when humans are in an environment that is colder, it is harder to maintain this body temperature and bodily functions may begin to shut down which can lead to death. Additionally, it is much harder to find food in such climates. In areas where snow, frost, or ice either kills or covers edible plants for most of the year farming and foraging cannot be consistently relied on. Humans must depend on hunting which can be challenging as animals are much scarcer in colder climates and are often also hunted by other large and dangerous predators. Additionally, cold climates make traversal difficult. Humans must rely on shelters or fire to stay warm and this, coupled with snow that is often present in colder climates, can make traveling difficult. Cold climates can negatively impact the survivability of humans by presenting a strain on the human body, making food more difficult to come by, and making travel difficult.   

2.) Despite the difficulties presented by cold climates, humans have fouds ways to adapt. One short-term adaptation to cold is the tendency of the human body to conserve core heat. When a person is

exposed to cold weather they may begin to experience loss of feeling in their hands and feet. This is a short-term response of the human body and it improves the survivability of the individual. Blood flow is decreased to the extremities and focused on the torso and head. Rather than experiencing temperature loss and the shutdown of the body as a whole, the conservation of central body heat allows for the sacrifice of extremities at the expense of survival. A person might experience frostbite or the loss of a limb but survive where they otherwise wouldn't. This is short-term adaptation because as soon as the individual is introduced back into a warmer area, their body eventually begins functioning normally. An example of a facultative adaptation to the cold is an increase in body hair. While this isn't an adaptation prevalent in a modern

environment, advanced clothing and shelters keep people warm, it was conducive to early hominids. In responses to colder climates, early hominids possed more body hair. Hominids moving into colder climates would see an increase in their level of body temperature. Though not the only source or preserver of heat in modern humans, additional hair was used to create the body heat retention that was necessary for survival in colder climates. As it was a phenotypic response, increases in body hair were a facultative

response. An additional adaptation to colder environments in early hominids was a developmental one. Humans not only developed different body shapes but produced more heat. Early humans living in colder climates began to become more compact and squat. This smaller size, more circular size, led to an increased level of body heat retention as there was less surface area for heat to escape. This adaptation, coupled with a genetic shift towards an overall higher body temperature, allowed early hominids to live in colder temperatures. Finally, the cultural adaptation of warmer clothing and the use of shelters allowed humans to live in colder climates. Both of these adaptations

pertained to creating or increasing overall heat. Shelters not only trapped heat but offered protection from the harsher elements of a colder climate. The adoption of new clothing, such as animals furs, helped early hominids survive as well, increasing body heat retention. Warmer clothing and the use of shelters are just two examples of cultural adaptations that allowed humans to live in colder weather.

3.) There are several advantages to studying human variation along environmental lines. First of all, it can potentially show where specific groups may have come from. Early humans were largely nomadic, and this can make it difficult to pinpoint where exactly they spent most of their time. If an early human skeleton, or even modern human, exhibits traits that are contrary to where they now reside, it can be inferred that resonated from other areas. For example, if there is a group of taller skeletons found in a colder area they likely traveled from a warmer area to their current location. Additionally, this type of study showcases the different effects environments have on the human condition. Warmer climates elicit different traits and responses than do colder climates just as coastal climates create different responses that central climates. The study of these traits can further the research on the effect the environment has on the individual. This information can be useful because it can help scientists to understand, not only where early humans originated, but where they migrated too. The discovery of a fossil that would have been ill-fitted to the environment of the time would indicate that the fossil originated somewhere else. Additionally, comparisons of fossils of the same species but located in different areas will yield information as to how those fossils are different and how the environment has affected them. Information on environmental adaptations can be used to determine where ancient humans originated and where they ended up, making this study of human variation useful to scientists.                                   

4.) I would connect race to the attributes listed above and use it to make a broad observation of the population as a whole. If a large portion of a certain race presents the attributes of living in cold weather then you could reasonably assume the rest of that race shares those attributes to some extent and is from the same area. If a certain race resides in one area I can use that information to understand the variations they possess. Race by itself, however, is not the most precise form of measurement and could present issues. The race is no the best medium when studying variation because it is too broad. Many individuals of a specific race might present attributes, similar to those of others, by pure chance. Additionally, such variation might not be congruent to the race as a whole but rather, a small contingency of said party. Environmental influences are a much better form of study because it is the study of traits that can only be presented in certain areas. Where race focuses purely on appearance, the study of enviromental influences focus on traits and attributes that are specific to certain areas and climates and whose expressions are forced rather than due to chance. The study of environmental mediums is a better way to understand human variation because it is is much more precise and an element of chance is taken away.