The cold can have a profoundly negative
impact on humans and disturb our homeostasis. Cold environments have the
ability to drop our core body temperature down to fatal levels. This is called
hypothermia and occurs when your core temperature reached 94 degrees Fahrenheit,
or 34.4 degrees Celsius. These freezing conditions cause our bodies to try to
adapt which in turn cause stress to our bodies. This disrupts our homeostasis
because we are not relaxed and happy. Our bodies are not functioning properly;
instead they are fighting for survival.
Humans
have however found ways to adapt to the stress of the cold. A short term
adaptation that we use is shivering. When the body is cold the muscles start to
convulse to continue the blood flow in those muscles. This helps us deal with
the cold for a short amount of time and does not cause a change in our genes. An
example of a facultative adaptation would be the narrowing of blood vessels
near the skins surface. This is known as vasoconstriction and it helps to keep
heat from leaving your body by reducing the peripheral 
blood flow.This can lead to frostbite if the body is left in the extreme conditions for too long however. Developmental adaptations could include an increased basal metabolic rate, higher levels of fat around vital organs, and the overall short and round shape of the body. Higher levels of fat and the body shape all help to retain heat in the body’s core. Cultural adaptations can be seen in many different ways. People who live in consistently cold weather use fire to keep warm. They also sleep in huddles with their bodies pushed up against each other to retain heat as
The
benefits of studying human variation is that we get to learn how our bodies
work and change to better fit our environment. We are the only species that can
survive in such varying conditions. That is something incredible and worth researching.
Explorations like that help us to understand our body and its ability to adapt.
From studying this we have been able to see the different adaptations form
people living in subarctic regions to the deserts of Africa.
You could
use race to say that Inuit people are better adapted to the cold because of their
race, but that is very limiting. You are taking away the importance of change
over generations to adapt to that environment. They cannot survive the cold
because they are Inuit. They can survive the cold because over generations
their bodies have evolved and acclimated to the cold weather. The shorter and
rounder shape took over in genes because they were better suited to the environmental
stresses. To use race as a way to study human variation is a mistake. Race is a
cultural and societal term. We are all more genetically similar than people
tend to realize. Studying the environmental adaptations show you how and why a group of people changed.
Hello
ReplyDeleteWell I also wrote about the cold as well. Its interesting how we can talk about the same topic but can still come up with other things to talk about. I like the fact how you got into details of what temperature your body needs to be in order to get a higher sickness
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteI think you post was really interesting, and I think you used good examples to express each topic. I think your example on short term adaptations and how we shiver when our core temperature lowers. Your example on vasoconstriction is interesting as well I never really thought about how our blood vessels help retain heat as well. Proper blood flow is very important for our vital organs, and I agree that using race to study human variation is a mistake. Race can be used to relate to our ancestors but I don't think it should be used in other ways, and maybe by studying the human race it will encourage people to end racism and really see how genetically connected we are. Good post.
"This disrupts our homeostasis because we are not relaxed and happy."
ReplyDeleteInteresting statement! This is biology, not psychology! It disrupts homeostasis because it alters the way the body functions so that it is not at optimum levels. It drops the body temperature, slowing the body, causing fatigue, possible frostbite and tissue damage, and (if not addressed soon enough) even death. That's the facts we are looking for here.
Good short term adaptation.
Vasoconstriction is also actually short term, because of the problems with tissue damage that you mention. After a while, the body switches to alternating vasoconstriction/vasodilation, to occasionally open up the capillaries to nutrients to return to the outer tissues, but even this will not stave off tissue death forever.
Good developmental discussion. Are you familiar with Bergmann and Allen's rules?
Thorough discussion of cultural traits.
Good explanation for the benefits of the adaptive approach.
"You could use race to say that Inuit people are better adapted to the cold because of their race, but that is very limiting. "
Not only is it limiting, it isn't even accurate. Besides, this isn't using race as the basis for better understanding variation. It is only slapping race on as a label and declaring it useful.
"Race is a cultural and societal term. We are all more genetically similar than people tend to realize. Studying the environmental adaptations show you how and why a group of people changed. "
You should have led with this and stuck with it. :-) There is no need to find a use for race if there isn't one.
great post it was interesting finding someone who did something other than heat. I loved reading the facts about our adaptions to cold for a change over all great presentation every thing was easy to follow. I enjoyed reading the way bodies changed over time and the benefits that it has. Unlike my post i actually did not cover that aspect. Great job
ReplyDelete