Heat is an environmental stress that can affect the survival
of humans. When the human body exceeds 105° F hyperthermia sets in,
hyperthermia can lead to death if not treated quickly. High body temperatures
cause our blood vessels to dilate in attempt to lose heat, once the inability
to sweat occurs, humans suffering from dehydration experience nausea, vomiting,
headaches, and low blood pressure. Eventually, the organs cannot maintain
homeostasis and fail, resulting in death.
Humans combat hot temperatures in many different ways
including:
Short term: Sweating, humans begin to cool themselves
instantly using sweat for evaporation.
Facultative: After a few days of heat vasodilatation of the
blood vessels occurs, bringing heat to the surface of the body to be
dissipated.
Developmental: Some populations that live in hotter climates
tend to have longer limbs and slender bodies, this phenomenon is called Allen's
rule, and allows body heat to escape quickly into the environment.
Cultural: The invention of air condition has allowed
many humans to inhabit areas with hotter climates.
Humans can benefit from studying human variation in response to heat by finding
efficient ways to reduce risk of heat stroke. We can study the way the human
body reacts to heat and build technology to aid us in combating high
temperature, we can also use information to decide which locations on Earth
humans would not be safe to inhabit. Areas in which we cannot battle high
temperatures such as deserts during dry season are not suitable for year-round
homes.
A few benefits of studying human variation in different environments, such as an extremely hot climate, would lead to inventions utilizing this information in order for humans to be able to inhabit different areas. Perhaps in the future we can genetically engineer humans to be specifically adapted to their environment to ensure our survival i.e. Allen's rule tells us that humans with slender bodies and long limbs have advantages in hotter climates. If global warming continues as it has been we will need solutions based on this research to implement them on human populations.
Race is largely irrelevant when studying the human response to heat/high temperatures. There is no specific “race” which reacts differently to heat. All humans are affected the same once core body temperatures exceed 105° F. Studying environmental influences on adaptations to heat would be more appropriate because heat is largely a geographical problem and not pertinent to any race. Those populations nearer to the equator are more likely to suffer from heatstroke, dehydration, etc. during summer months.
Studying environmental influences on adaptations is a better way to understand human variation because the environment is what actually creates physical changes on humans not the idea that we belong to different races. Humans are one of the most genetically alike species on the planet, physical variation is a result of humans adapting to their environment, meaning that there are no superior races, only slight variances that help us thrive in different climates and locations.
A few benefits of studying human variation in different environments, such as an extremely hot climate, would lead to inventions utilizing this information in order for humans to be able to inhabit different areas. Perhaps in the future we can genetically engineer humans to be specifically adapted to their environment to ensure our survival i.e. Allen's rule tells us that humans with slender bodies and long limbs have advantages in hotter climates. If global warming continues as it has been we will need solutions based on this research to implement them on human populations.
Race is largely irrelevant when studying the human response to heat/high temperatures. There is no specific “race” which reacts differently to heat. All humans are affected the same once core body temperatures exceed 105° F. Studying environmental influences on adaptations to heat would be more appropriate because heat is largely a geographical problem and not pertinent to any race. Those populations nearer to the equator are more likely to suffer from heatstroke, dehydration, etc. during summer months.
Studying environmental influences on adaptations is a better way to understand human variation because the environment is what actually creates physical changes on humans not the idea that we belong to different races. Humans are one of the most genetically alike species on the planet, physical variation is a result of humans adapting to their environment, meaning that there are no superior races, only slight variances that help us thrive in different climates and locations.
Hi Fabiola,
ReplyDeleteYour post was very interesting and informative. I like how you talked about vasoconstriction and vasodilation. I talked a little bit about those subjects in my post because I did high climates and there is typically extreme weather in high climates. I agree that race is irrelevant when studying human variation of adaptations. There is stronger evidence that environmental factors cause human variation of adaptations. Good post. Very informative!
Good opening description of the stress itself.
ReplyDeleteI was able to figure out which adaptations were which by the order in which you discussed them and by their descriptions, but it is a good idea to specify clearly which are short term, facultative, development, and cultural so there isn't confusion and misunderstanding. All were correct. For your developmental trait, you are describing a particularly physical phenomenon. Can you identify its name?
Section three was more general in terms of the frame of the question. You focus on the heat aspect (which is accurate) but can you speak more generally to the benefit of the adaptive/environmental approach?
"Race is largely irrelevant when studying the human response to heat/high temperatures."
Exactly. But again, can you apply this more generally to all human variation?
I edited my post to include the relevant information.
DeleteHello Fabiola, I enjoyed your post immensely. What fascinated me most was the process of Vasodilation which is where heat is released from the body in an attempt to cool it down. I thought it was interesting because I did my Human Variation post on how the cold effects humans and the exact opposite occurs when the human body is attempting to heat itself up. I also agree with what you said about race being irrelevant because you are right, once in a certain setting or temperature, all our bodies act the same way regardless of skin tone.
DeleteThank you for the updates.
Delete