Human Variation & Race Blog

In cold climates there is the risk of hypothermia.  Hypothermia drops the core body temperature to dangerous levels.  Normal core temperature for a human is 98.6 degrees.  Hypothermia begins when the core body temperature drops below 94 degrees.  Different people respond to the cold differently depending upon hormones, age, time of day, physical activity, body size, body shape, and metabolism.  Once this happens a person may eventually die from the cold.  Interestingly people may be revived after organ failure, after reaching freezing temperatures of 57-60 degrees.

At the other end of the spectrum people experience Hyperthermia, when exposed to excessive heat over 105-107 degrees.  Within a few days they may die.

There are a number of ways we Humans adapt to our various environments:

Facultative adaptation: If one is constantly exposed to a cold climate they may build fat insulation around their organs, gain an increase in their basal metabolic rate, and there may be a change in their blood flow patterns.

Developmental adaptations: Cold climates encourage larger bodies that are built compactly .  A more compact body has less surface area and so heat is not lost as easily.

Short-term adaptation: Our built in response to the cold causes up to start shivering.  This is our bodies attempt to warm itself up.  It only works in the short-term.

Cultural adaptations: With the use of technology Humans are able to create artificial environments (via heathers/air conditioners) that enable them to live in virtually any environment, without having to evolve to fit into that environment.  Another cultural adaption would be wearing warm clothing, use of animals (sled dogs), eating high fat foods (fish/seals)to raise metabolic temperature, remain active when outside, creating fires for warmth, drinking alcohol (can speed heat loss) to gain a feeling of warmth, and building shelters.  Also setting certain outdoor activities for during the warmer daylight hours/warmer seasons helps minimize exposure to cold.

By studying this spectrum of adaption we can better understand ourselves and know more readily how to adapt in new environments that we may encounter.

When we think of people in terms of their adaption’s we can have a better respect for their culture, way of life, food choices, etc.  Our interaction becomes one of learning and connecting versus just making assumptions about a person based upon their skin color or ethnical background.  Race alone is not consistent across the board as a way of determining environmental adaption traits or someone status in society because genes for skin color, eye color, nose size, hair type, arm length, etc. are not consistently linked to ones ethnic background.  Many of us are mixtures of various backgrounds, so visible traits are misleading.  No one’s morality, intelligence, or social outlook should be guessed upon by these superficial means.  Genes can be mixed interchangeably…a dark skinned person can have blue eyes, and a pale skinned person can have black hair, etc.  Any one of us (as a population over time) put into the right environment, may develop survival traits that make us look different, but essentially we are very similar in every other way.  Culturally speaking I think that we should celebrate these differences and enjoy them, rather than trying to make everyone the same.  We are not cookies, and should not be made to fit into a mold.  Women with “big” feet should be seen as just as lovely as those with smaller feet, as an example.  Scientifically speaking, there is even more reason to celebrate diversity because we have the capability of dealing directly with our genes.  I would even go so far to say that genetic information and diversity is the most valuable substance in the universe.  Just today I watched a program about a person that does not age.  This person has had a hard life and is solely dependent upon their family, but their genetic diversity could open up many new opportunities.  I would hate to see a world where there is no genetic diversity where everyone is “beautiful” and “perfect” and looks the same.  As long as we are adapting; we are growing….and more opportunities open up for us.

Language Experiment

I chose not to tell my subject that I was conducting an experiment.  I wanted to get honest reactions from them. 

For the first part of the experiment I only used non-verbal vocalization, hand signs, body language, etc.   While my subject carried on a conversation I never said a word.    This portion of the experiment was easy.   It is amazing how easy it is to communicate without words, especially when you are with someone chatty.   For the most part the subject did not even notice that I was not speaking.  They had assumed that I was distracted and so slowly the conversation fizzled out.

In a situation where two cultures are meeting for the first time, I can imagine that the person with the ability to speak is the most able to communicate complex ideas.  The culture that can speak would without doubt feel a sort of disconnect with the culture that could not speak and perhaps would not regard them as equals. 

There are those in our culture that cannot hear and so do not speak audibly our symbolic language.  I have interacted directly with such persons.  Non-verbal communication goes a long way in getting a point across.  Hand gestures, smiling, and eye-contact all assure the person that they are respected and welcome.  As long as both parties are patient, communication is relatively easy.  Only basic ideas can be communicated though.  Complex ideas are lost and need language, either written or spoken.

For the second part of the conversation, when I spoke audibly but hindered my body-language, I was not able to last the full fifteen minutes.    It was difficult not to use my hands, or to express emotions on my face.  My partner in conversation felt unsure, confused, and somewhat uncomfortable that I was not offering body-language or assuring tones in my voice.  My speech seemed more serious or perhaps disconnected to the conversation at hand.  My subject felt that I was disinterested or even in a bad mood and the conversation ended.

I think that non-verbal communication is essential and the tone of our voice communicates volumes of information to our companions in conversation.  There is a saying that 90 percent of our communication is non-verbal.  When we use hand gestures, posture, and facial expressions those listening to and watching us feel assured that we like them, that we are genuinely interested in talking to them, that we accept them, etc.  This strongly affects our ability to form bonds and build trust.

There are people that have difficulty reading emotions in others (autism spectrum disorders) and it can be as if they are missing out on part of the conversation taking place.  They may not be able to understand the way others feel.  I cannot fathom any environment where not reading body language could be beneficial.  I actually found it easier to communicate non-verbally than I did verbally without body language.