Cold is an environmental stress that negatively impacts the
survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis.
Our normal body temperature is 98.6 degrees when we expose our bodies to
the cold our body tries to regulate the temperature and begins triggering our
muscles to shiver. Our muscles shivering
allows heat to be generated but at the same time our body starts pumping more
blood to our organs to counteract the cold temperature. Our extremities like fingers lack blood and
become ice cold. If this happens for too long cells start dying and in a worst
case scenario that part of the body is lost to frost bite.
Short-term: When are
muscles start shivering is a short term response to our bodies being cold and
by shivering the constant muscle constrictions create more energy which turns
into heat.
Facultative Adaptation:
A Facultative Adaptation Response we use in response to cold is vaso-constriction. In Vasoconstriction
the diameter of the capillaries is reduced and blood flow is constricted. It allows our bodies to stay warmer and fight
the cold.
Developmental Adaptation:
A developmental adaptation response to cold is seen in our body shape
and size. People in cold environments
have round bodies and the fat is usually in areas where vital organs are kept
safe from the cold.
Cultural Adaptation:
A Cultural Adaptation response is clothing. In colder cultures they tend to use thicker
clothing for example fur jackets and headwear are used to protect our bodies
from the cold. Another example is
pressurizing airplane cabins with oxygen because not only the height but cold
temperature would interfere with our breathing.
Benefits in Studying Human Variation: Examining different cultures and body types
and how they adapt to the cold will help facilitate scientist in the
understanding of when certain events are triggered such as shivering and
vasoconstriction. And to explore the
different temperatures in different body sizes that trigger such events. The
main benefit lies in science because the exploration of human variation can
lead to a more thorough knowledge in our bodies.
I believe race isn’t a good way to describe human variation. Environmental influences to adaptation is a better way because it should be based off individuals not races. For example dark skin has to do with sun adaption rather than race.
Hello Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteI also did my blog post on cold and agree about your comment on environmental adaptation and race. I do believe that human variation is based on their adaptation versus their ethnicity. Overall I enjoyed how straight forward you were with your information and great job! Was a pleasure blogging with you1 Enjoy your summer!
great post and photos! I often see very small/skinny people wearing sweaters in 90 degree weather and although it looks crazy I guess they get cold easier due to lack of insulation.
ReplyDeleteOkay on your description of the negative affects of cold stress, but at worse, cold stress can shut down your internal organs and result in death.
ReplyDeleteGood discussion on all four adaptations. One clarification: Vasoconstriction is used as a short term adaptation. For longer term, factultative traits, the body resorts to alternating vasoconstriction/vasodilation, which still retains most heat in the body core but allows some blood to reach the extremities in an attempt to reduce tissue death.
Good discussion on the benefits of the adaptive approach.
Can we take the issue of race as step further, beyond whether it is a "good" way to study human variation? Is it even possible to understand variation using race? Race is a social construct, subject to cultural bias. Given that, is is possible to use it to understand a purely biological trait? Does race cause adaptations? Or can you only say that about the environment?
I apologize but I haven't been able to log on to my canyons email nor bb9 I've tried since 9 pm when I went on lunch just to take the final I just got off work and still I tried and it gives me server error messages. I emailed bb9 support but they haven't replied I did it from my personal email I do not remember your email address so can you please reply at jeannettelara11@gmail.com. I will be awake waiting for your reply can you make the final accessible outside of bb9? I normally get off work at 1030/11 but my boss allowed me to take a break just for the final at 9 and I still had issues. Please reply I know it's late again I apologize.
DeleteJeanette,
ReplyDeleteI too found it interesting that there are different body types that deal with the cold better than others. People who have to deal with the cold all the time have more body fat and their bodies actually produce more body heat. I also had no idea that before hypothermia the veins contract and get smaller so that less body heat is used to try and save as much as possible.
Erica