Human variations in adaptations to cold weather

1.      Cold weather can cause blood vessels in certain parts of the body to constrict and cause a breakdown in the immune system. Once this has occurred, bacteria can then take over the body and cause sickness that can result in death. Hypothermia can also occur when the core body temperature falls to 94 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point homeostasis is disturbed because the body’s natural temperature regulating system stats to fail, thus making the body cool even faster.

2.      Humans have learned a number of ways to cope with cold temperatures. One way is through cultural adaptations such as the following four examples: thicker clothing, insulated houses, fire, and migration to a warmer climate.

 

 

3. The benefit of studying human variation across a range of environmental stresses are: it helps scientist come up with new ways to treat diseases, avoid mutations and reveal patterns of human population diversity.

4. To understand variations in cultural adaptations to cold weather, I would use race to follow patterns of adaptations to cold weather in different cold climates around the world. For example, I would compare one race in a region to another race in a different region who both live in similar climates. This way I would be able to see the affects that the environment has on the variations and compare them accordingly.

 

An altered Language experiement

I found part one of the language assignment to be quite difficult because the content of the conversation I had with my partner required a little more feedback than just yes and no answers.  My partner was able to speak and I wasn’t; I was only able to use body language and I believe that she actually used more hand gestures than I did because she naturally assumed that I was deaf. If each of us in the conversation represented a different culture I actually think that my partner’s culture would have an advantage in communicating complex ideas, because with language it is easier to link sounds to objects or symbols and mimic tones in nature as well. I think that the speaking culture would feel superior towards the nonspeaking culture because of the many benefits that come with language.

 

 Some individuals in our culture today that have difficulty communicating spoken language are people with speech impediments. One particular speech impediment is called aphasia, which is a loss of hearing due to a stroke or brain damage which can develop speech – language disorders. There are a few ways that speaking people can communicate with those who have aphasia. For starters the environment should be quiet and they should be spoken to like adults. If they can’t understand you then never choose to shout at them. When you ask them a question, ask in a way they can answer you with a simple yes and no. When directions are giving to someone with aphasia the directions should be broken down into small and simple steps. Visual prompts are also helpful as well such as pointing, hand gestures, and drawings.

 

 

Part two of the language assignment was actually harder than I thought, even harder than part one’s objective but I did last the whole 15 minutes. In the second part of the language assignment I was able to speak but without using any body language. You don’t realize how much you use hand gestures and head nods when you communicate, and that’s what made this assignment difficult for me. My partner in this conversation said that there was no spirit in the communication. He said that I seemed disinterested and the conversation was kind of boring. This language experiment proves that body language is very much a part of our language and is imperative to really get your point across to someone when communicating.

 

 Body language seems to be innate within all humans and it definitely was a communication tool well before spoken word. Recent studies have shown that autistic people have trouble reading body language because of visual processing problems. Being able to read body language can be beneficial in many ways. It would be beneficial in business especially to a salesman who is trying to gauge the level of interest of a buyer. Body language is also beneficial to parents of babies and toddlers. Because these young children aren’t proficient speakers the ability to communicate via body language is a very useful tool when dealing with them. Another adaptive benefit to possessing the ability to read body language is finding a mate or finding out if someone may be romantically interested in you. I can’t describe any condition where there might be a benefit to not reading body language. To me being able to read body language is always beneficial because it is the closest we come to being able to read someone’s mind, now how cool would that be, communicating via mental telepathy!