Human Variation and Race

1.       Select only ONE of the following environmental stresses:  (a) heat, (b) high levels of solar radiation, (c) cold, or (d) high altitude.  Discuss specifically how this environmental stress negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. (5 pts)

When it comes to high levels of radiation it can disturb our homeostasis and our impact on human survival. When radiation begins it actually starts off in space and then affects us on earth later on. In space there are actually storms but they are different from our storms because they produce radiation waves. For example UVA rays are able to penetrate through the epidermis layer of human skin and affect the dermis layer, causing defects in human cells. Of course human skin has a negative reaction to radiation and can harm us presently and in the future.

2.       Identify 4 ways in which humans have adapted to this stress, choosing one specific adaptation from each of the different types of adaptations listed above (short term, facultative, developmental and cultural).  Include images of the adaptations.  (5 pts each/ 20 pts total) 

 

Facultative: Have you ever notice that in the summer time we humans are usually darker in the summer or even on the” tan” side, and during the winter people are usually more white and pale. This is because the body is responding to environmental stress. In the summer, humans usually outside while we usually tend to be inside more in the winter because it’s so cold. so of course during the summer we expose ourselves to UV rays and high temperatures. When these rays are absorb in great amounts it causes our skin cells to absorb these rays negatively. When the human skin becomes tanner it is actually producing a sunscreen that will remain on our skin until we remove this environmental stress or UV rays. No one really understands why we do tan but it’s our bodies ways of protecting us or producing our own “sunscreen”.

 

Short Term: Have you ever had that feeling when you go to the beach and your skin is in the sun for to long your skin tends to feel raw and burned or turning red? Well that’s a sun burn. Sun burns ar created from UV rays that are taking negatively so it’s almost like its burning your skin. So yes of course ladies sun is not always great. This is also a warning reaction that the body produces to warn you of the harmful exposure. The body can only handle so much so when your body turns red and raw it’s time to get out of the sun and give your skin a break.

Cultural: For other cultures, many like wearing clothing that protects them from the environmental stress or sun. Of course we have also developed sunscreen that has helped many people. SO people can still have fun in the sun but not be harmed or feel like they are baking. Other way of helping your skin in to create a shelter or use an umbrella or even bringing a canopy or tarp to keep the sun from effecting you at all but still enjoying your day. Also migration can play a role, by fleeing one site in order to survive during a certain season and then returning back during the prime seasons.

 

Developmental:  Developmental changes are found in populations that have been subjected to a large amount of solar radiation there for their skin color has become dark to help shield themselves for an over absorption  of UV rays. An example I am African American and when I go to the beach I would see women or men that get sun burned and I don’t. So after I learned it’s because of my skin or because I’m darker I am able to withstand higher levels of solar radiation exposure. Even for those who live in different continents and its extremely hot but they are darker they rarely get skin cancers or negative reactions with their skin so they also adapted to their environment as well.

 

3.   What are the benefits of studying human variation from this perspective across environmental clines?  Can information from explorations like this be useful to help us in any way?  Offer one example of how this information can be used in a productive way.  (5 pts) 

The benefits of studying human variation is to understand how humans have adapted and altered to be able to exist and protect themselves from harsh environmental stress or UV rays imposed by mother nature. We can see after research how our population have adapted or developed traits to endure the environmental stresses.  We can look back and see how humans have evolved throughout the years and adapted.  This information can give us insight about how our world and us as people have adapted and live today to adapt to the environments we live in.  By studying skin cancer and UV rays, we can determine what levels are acceptable to the human body and what we can take before we need sunscreen or proper attire for the sun.

4.       How would you use race to understand the variation of the adaptations you listed in #2?  Explain why the study of environmental influences on adaptations is a better way to understand human variation than by the use of race.  (10 pts)

I would use race to determine what areas in the world UV rays have affected the most of our population. When you think about it and after I have did research about It, we adapt to a lot of things and get past a lot of things to live in our world today, no matter what continent, there are things that effect some people and there are some things that don’t. I do believe that UV rays do affect Caucasians worse than African Americans but that is from the research I have did. I still could be wrong. Once you understand and research the environment of where certain people or races live you would understand why it effects certain people or races in the end.

Language Experiment

Tamara Sales White
Anthropology
May 19, 2013
Language Experiment

 

Part one of the experiment was probably the most difficult part of the whole experiment. It was hard because I was the outcast, I tried to talk to my friends but I felt like during the whole fifteen minute conversation I was playing charades with them when were suppose to be having a conversation. It is already bad as it is that my friends talk fast and I already try to say my opinion after they talk, but when we were having our conversation while I was using just hand movements my friends tried to interpret what I was saying and it slowed the conversation down.

            One of my friends didn’t want to even turn to me at first to see what I was trying to say until I started to wave my hands and get their attention. Overall my friends did try to understand me and slow down their talking so I could show them in hand movements what I was trying to say, which I thought was really nice and supportive instead of ignoring me or act like I wasn’t there.

We choose two cultures that we think might work together to talk to each other and that was Asian and American.  We choose these cultures because when we go out, where we live, there are Chinese restaurants owned my Asians, stores run by Asians, and nail salons as well. When I attend one of these stores or restaurants, I have to speak more openly and slowly most of the time even if have a full conversation with that person. It does seem pretty hard for them to interpret what I say then me interpreting them, but we do get over it and usually they are longer conversations of course but they are worth it.  

There are people in our own culture that do have the same problem of not being able to talk and they are considered Mute. Those who are able to speak and not speak are able to speak to each other through some type of communication as in sign language or now a days a special device.

In part two of this experiment it wasn’t as hard as I thought It would be, but it was pretty weird to speak in one tone with no hand movements, face expressions, or body movements. I lasted probably about eight minutes. It did get harder later in the conversation because you don’t really know anyone expression. For example if someone got offended in the conversation we couldn’t tell, if someone became sad, over joyed, or just wanted to show a little sass, it couldn’t be shown.  I believe that was the most difficult part for all of us because everything is one way and one way only. My partners also found it very difficult because it was too hard to stay in one tone and one of my friends always uses hand gestures and that was the worst part for him.

I believe it is very important that non-speech techniques are very effective for those who cannot speak to talk to those who can. It helps to have full conversations with someone and it helps those who cannot speak to mouth out what we say. I believe there are people who can’t read body language but at the same time I think it’s something that’s common for most people. Reading body language helps us interpret what we all say and know if someone is being sarcastic, happy, sad, angry, and etc. It helps determine if someone doesn’t want to be bothered as well. Body language actually tells a lot about a person, my mother always says. I honestly can’t think of an environmental condition where body language couldn’t be used.

Piltdown Blog!

To begin I learned that in 1912 near Southern English town of Louis in a little town called Piltdown. In this town a man named Charles Dawson claimed to find, while he was digging, a piece of an ancient human skull.  After his discovery he brought along other colleagues names Arthur Smith Woodward, an archeologist, and one other colleague to help with the artifacts and digging. The remains were found to be outstanding out first and these men especially Charles Dawson became famous in the scientific community. A question in the scientific community became a key point in their experiments, is there a difference between humans and apes?

Human faults did come into effect in this scenario.  To me I believe that human fault was involved only because I believe greed took in affect. To this day I don’t think that many people know what really happened or who really was at fault but I believe jealousy or trying to get ahead was one big issue in the case. I believe someone wanted to just say he made that big discovery and be famous in the end.

When they did find out that the skull piece or remain was a fraud, they did improve in a few things on the way. Their technology like the Florentine test helped with basically telling the scientist that the skull piece was not an ancient skull piece but was very young. Along the lines they also used more advanced technology that was able to tell that the skull piece was not human at all but a female orangutan. Not just technology had improved in a positive way there was also the findings or remains that other scientist had found in different continents like Asia and Africa. These remains that were found did not match with the remains found at Piltdown and soon Dawson’s findings were unraveling. When they found out the remains were fake scientist then knew they had to be on high alert on artifacts that were brought to them today as well.

I don’t think you can take the “human” factor out of science. Only because humans are science and to me who would be better to find and study remains from long ago. Of course technology is great but I don’t believe it could do the work better than humans. Also to be it all involves around humans and living organisms, so I believe it’s better for us to finish the jobs we started.

I learned that people can get greedy when it comes to fame or becoming that big name. I believe that it’s not just what you see it’s the study behind it and what you learn behind the research. They were wrong for what they did and they should have come clean but with the technology we have today I doubt anyone would be able to turn in fake or fraudulent pieces without them getting caught.