Human Variation— Heat

Human Variation

Heat

High temperatures negatively effect the body’s homeostasis. The body’s response to hyperthermia, when the core body temperature is between 105 and 107 degrees, is to sweat in order to cool down. When this is not effective, depending on the climate or surroundings, there is a disruption of the body’s core temperature ultimately disturbing homeostasis. Our bodies have a few ways of adapting to this stress called heat. 

Short term Adaptation: Sweating

Evaporative cooling, as it is also called, cools the body down in dry climates, but also causes major water loss which can be dangerous.

Facultative: Increased Blood Flow; Vaslolidation

The body will increase its blood flow when it begins to overheat. This allows the heat to disperse  around the body in attempt to cool it down. Heat is dispersed and exits through the skin’s surface often causes redness of the face or other parts of the body. 

Developmental: Linear Body Types

The more surface area, the more heat is dispersed. Length allows for more perspiration to cool the body quicker.

Cultural: 

A cultural response to heat can be wearing minimal clothing or using an air conditioning unit. We allow our bodies to “breathe” by wearing less clothing, and we avoid the heat as a whole when we escape to the AC. 

There are many benefits to studying human variation. Knowledge allows for preparedness when we face climates we have not previously been accustomed to. Knowing is the first step in preparing to explore a new place as you know the dangers and the safety precautions to take in facing extreme heat, extreme cold, etc. In the case of high altitudes, this information would be helpful because in order to withstand high altitudes if one wanted to climb Mt. Whitney, they would need an oxygen tank, as well as knowing what to do when the body reacts to high altitude.

Race is not a factor because all of these adaptations hold true to the human race. Race is not based in biology, rather culture. It would be more accurate to describe these stresses as in different ways humans adapt. 

Language

Part 1: 

By the end of the 15 minutes I was frustrated. Our conversation did not go in to much depth due to the fact that I could not convey specifically what I was thinking through mere gestures. I could agree or disagree with what was being said, but I could not give reason behind it, therefore I found this very difficult. My partner and my conversation was slower and “drier” than a normal conversation we would have where we could both communicate verbally because she posed her questions and statements in ways that only needed a simple response. 

My partner was the one in control. It was impossible for me to change a topic other than when I would get frustrated and drop the topic as a whole, prompting my partner to move on to something else. My partner definitely had more power in this conversation, and it was not balanced. I had to follow where she was going at all times. 

The culture that communicates verbally is going to have the advantage in communicating more complex ideas. Imagine if our presidential candidates could not communicate verbally, we would not understand what they stood for. They may be able to communicate simple ideas, but complex ideas and answers during debates would be impossible. 

Part 2: 

This took me longer than I originally thought, because every time I used some sort of non-verbal communication, my partner would stop the conversation and we would basically start over. This became frustrating but it forced me to consciously think of what I was doing and how I use non-verbal communication so frequently. It was hard for my partner to read exactly how I was feeling on certain topics. I could not give any hints towards the feelings behind the words I was speaking which led to miscommunication on multiple occasions. 

Non-verbal communication is very important to how we communicate with others. It is something we do not often realize, until we are forced to not use it. Techniques are important for the sole reason of miscommunication. If you do not have a certain technique to how you speak with certain inflections or body language, it hinders your ability to fully communicate everything you are thinking or feeling. We can often read a person’s emotions behind their words when we are aware of their non-verbal communication.

The ability to read body language helps in many situations. Someone’s body language often gives of “vibes” more or less and as humans, we pick up on those vibes and are often able to sense fear, violence, etc. 

My mom is someone who has difficulty reading body language because she often reads too far in to things. I think that is a downside to body language is sometimes it can be misinterpreted, just like ay form of communication. It would be beneficial in the work place to not be able to read someone’s body language, because the perceptions made based on what someone is saying can take away from the point they are trying to get across if it is strictly logical. We often want to find the “hidden meaning” in what someone is saying, but in this case, that could have a negative effect on the relationship. 

Piltdown Hoax

In 1912, the Piltdown Man hoax occurred in England. Human fossils found by Charles Darwin were found to be similar to an ape-like primate. This discovery immediately led to support of the theory that brain size developed previous to walking upright, which we know know to be false. At the time, scientist believed that primates evolved into humans, rather than evolving in to two separate species, like we know now. Before the technology we have now, it was easy to make mistakes. Now, we have better accuracy when it comes to dating fossils. Due to this hoax, many people opposed scientific theories, specifically evolution, and viewed them as mere conspiracies.

In any situation, it is human nature to want to be right. Our pride gets in the way, and often times without realizing it, we have come to a conclusion based on what we believe to be truth, when in reality, our pride and the desire to be right has clouded our "research." At the time of this "discovery" there was an urgency to be first. This could have played a large role in the hoax.

This hoax led to a more careful analyzation of future theories and discoveries. It was important for scientists to go back and uncover this hoax in order to redefine the scientific method and the idea of retesting a hypothesis before claiming it as truth.

I believe that removing the human factor from science, if it were even possible, would defeat the purpose of science. Science is meant to be studied, as well as learned from. Removing the human factor would get rid of the question "why" that so many scientists have asked, leading us to what we know now.

This hoax can be related back to every day life. As humans, we cannot always take everything for what someone says it is. It is in our nature to want to be right, but also to fall short, and be wrong. Life, and science, is about discovering ideas for ourselves, and working through our own process of belief.

Analogy and Homology

Humans and bats share homologous traits. The front limbs of both humans and bats have the same general structure. Both species's limbs (specifically arms in the case of humans) end in five digits. These structures do not look similar to the human eye. A bat has four phalanges and a thumb or "claw." The thumb is the only digit that has an ranged of motion separate from the rest. In comparison, human hands have full range of motion— making a fist, holding/grabbing items, moving fingers individually. Humans and bats use their front limbs for different actions, explaining why the structures look different. 

Originally, the common ancestor was that of a mammal, more specifically a vertebrate. This homologous trait would have had to be passed down from ancestors who had skeletons. 

  

Sharks and dolphins share the trait of having fins. This trait is analogous. Both species use their find for movement in the water. Although these traits look similar, a shark's fin is mainly cartilage while a dolphin's fin does not have internal support within the structure. Both fins allow for the shark or dolphin to swim— movement is the main purpose. Sharks came from a lineage of fish while dolphins are mammals. 

Sharks were swimming in the water while dolphins were still, at a time before they evolved, inhabiting land. It is possibly they a common ancestor could have possessed this trait, but it is not genetically related. Fins on dolphins are a sign of evolution.  

Week 2 Protein Synthesis

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