Human Variation & Race

1. Environmental stresses are part of all lives and has a great impact to all. Climate adaption is one of the many environmental stresses humans have encounter and have to adapt to. When living in cold climate there are many dangers that one will face such as hypothermia which is caused when there is a drop in core body temperature.  When living in cold climate usually the person has a greater increase in body mass and a diet that consists in much fattier foods which helps one to tolerate living in such harsh conditions and helps produce an increase in body heat. Cultures in that live in cold conditions face this high extreme weather is by using insulating clothing, houses, and fires. Other ways people adapt to this is by limiting the amount of time that is spent outside and leave those activities to warmer times during the day.  In some cases families will sleep in groups with one another’s bodies being pushed up against each other to help maintain a warmer body temperatures during the cold winter months.  

2. Four ways in which humans have adapted to the stress of living in cold weather are:

• People who are living in such cold climates drink alcohol to help warm them. By doing this it helps to increase blood flow which thereby causing the feeling of warmth. But these results are only temporary and can be dangerous to do because it can speed up the loss in heat from the vital internal organs which results in a more rapid death from hypothermia.

• Body size and shape are a very important influence when living in cold climate. There is a high increase in body mass and compact bodies with less surface area which are more common when living in cold climates. It helps produce a high increase in body heat.

• When living in harsh subarctic regions another way many of the cultures adapt to the cold climates is by consuming large quantities of high calorie fatty foods such as such the Inuit (Eskimo) do.  This knowingly increased the basal metabolic rate, which results in the making of extra body heat. 

• The Inuit (Eskimo) also dress in thick and heavy clothing, often slept in a huddle with their bodies next to each other, and continued to be active when being outdoors.

3. The benefits of studying human variation from this perspective across environmental clines is that we gather new information in which can teach us on how to adapt into a new environment. We can study this information and can receive so much from it. Yes this information can be very useful to help us because it teaches us how one can adapt to a new environment and gives us very valuable information.

4. Race isn’t the reason being why a certain culture can adapt. No matter what race one is we all have that power in being able to and have the capability to adapt into any environment in which is thrown to us. It is just a matter of teaching yourself on how to adapt and also by being taught and learning from other. All throughout society everyone is adapting into which ever environment they live.  It is important to learn information such as this and spread it amongst each other because that is how we are taught and it is how we learn that one’s race isn’t what matters when it comes to adapting into a new environment because we all can adapt no matter which environment we cross paths with.