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.
