Human Variation and Race

Environmental Stress: Heat affects and disturbs human homeostasis and also has affected the survival of mankind. The typical core temperature for a human is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  When human core temperatures elevate, the body can have hyperthermia, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and possibly death. Elderly and infants become more affected as their tolerance is much lower than the average age adult.

Short Term: A gland in the human brain called the hypothalamus regulates homeostasis of the human body.  When overheating, the gland instructs the body to sweat causing the air and fluid to cool off skin. Other factors effecting the overheating of the body are related to salt and water intake.  Salt causes the body to retain water, which is ideal when overheating because it decreases dehydration related to overheating.

Facultative:  Facultative adaptations caused by heat are skin tones. An individual with a darker skin tone is likely to live or come from an area, which has a very high air temperature and can absorb more heat without burning, than an individual who has a lighter skin color.

Developmental Adaptation: A developmental adaptation we have developed from heat is having less body hair. Our hominid ancestors had a lot of body hair that kept them warm during the Ice Age era. One of the main theories to why humans don't obtain much hair on our bodies today is because once the hominids reached the desert areas in Africa, they started to lose all their hair to keep their body temperatures cooler, to adapt to the warmer climate. 

Cultural Adaptation: The creation of hats, cooler clothing, umbrellas, insulation in homes and air conditioning has allowed individuals to adapt to warmer climates and stay cooler. Meteorology is viewed and adapted to accordingly.

Benefits: Individuals can benefit from studying weather variations in order to prepare and discover forms of staying hydrated and cool. Products have been created for the purpose of keeping our bodies cool. Learning from experiences and technology will improve products and inventions to keep the human body in homeostasis.

Adaptations: Reviewing environmental adaptations is an improved way to explore human variation than looking at race because the environment is the reason humans developed various skin colors, different physical characteristics, and other creations that help human survive. Race is  used to define a group of individuals who speak the same language, use the same social practices, share religious beliefs, and more. Adaptations can be traced further in history than the variation of human race.

Language Blog

            As I am not usually talkative, not speaking for 15 minutes was not difficult for me. I’m very effective at using body language, hand motions, and facial expressions already. Nonetheless after fifteen minutes, it was tiring.

            After a few minutes, one of my partners appeared to be getting aggravated with my inability to speak and answer questions. She seemed to be concentrating intensely on my expressions, but for particular responses that were not quite as obvious without communication was more. My other partner seemed as though she was speaking a lot louder than usual, as if I was hard of hearing. I did observe that both my partners during this exercise were using their own body language, hand motions, and facial expressions more frequently.

            I believe when two cultures cross and discuss multifaceted, the culture, which has the advantage, would have to be speaking group. Without the use of signs, expressions, or gestures, the exact point intended may not be perfectly clear. I think the speaking culture might have difficulties when communicating with a group that cannot use symbolic language because they will want to get their point across right away, but instead will need to guess what they mean, and be patient. In our culture, it can get difficult to communicate with people who are deaf and cannot speak or those who are mute. I think when a speaking person communicates with someone who cannot speak; they rely on using their expressions, actions, and gestures more frequently. Although, if a person could speak, but not utilize these while interacting with a person who can use communication but not actually speak, it could make things challenging and unclear.

            Unfortunately, I lasted less than five minutes without utilizing symbolic communication. I am used to utilizing expressions and movements when speaking naturally.  It was difficult as I tried to speak without gestures or expressions for fifteen minutes.

            My partner questioned a lot of what I was saying and at times appeared confused. Usually I’m a humorous person but without being able to use any symbolic communication, my partner was not able to my humor or if I was angry or upset.

            The use of non-speech communication is effective in normal daily communication. Other individuals may not use non-speech to communicate but may also depend on it to clarify meanings of conversations. Expressive communication is natural and allows individuals to convey as well as understand the meaning of the whole conversation.

           

            I think that some people do have difficulty reading body language.  For instance, movements and gestures may be offensive or be miscommunicated by various cultured individuals. If individuals are not used to movements and gestures, they may become confused as to the correct expression of words. The adaptive benefit of reading body language is the ability to feel if someone is sincere with the words they are speaking. The benefit of not being able to read body language is when someone is insincere, they are unable to verbally express themselves and the reader will not be fooled into false communication.

Piltdown

            A laborer in the southern English village of Piltdown uncovered a skull in 1908.  This skull was given to Charles Dawson, who was an amateur geologist at that time.  He quickly saw the potential for continued archeological finds in Piltdown. A few years later Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, a leading geologist at the Natural History Museum and Charles Dawson had also discovered a portion of the missing lower jawbone, or so they believed. 

           

            The findings were presented to the Royal Geological Society in 1912.  Their fellow scientists were pleased to have finally found the connection between apes and humans. Although, not all the scientists were convinced that the skull and jawbone were from the same specimen.  In 1917, Dawson claimed to find more human fossils as well as a canine tooth a little later near the original dig sight. 

           

            In 1953, chemical testing of fluorine established the fossils were falsely represented.  It was confirmed the human skull was more modern than expected and the jaw was that of an orangutan with filed down teeth to appear flat similar to human teeth.  Staining the bones with an iron solution and chromic acid created the appearance of age.  Microscopic examination revealed the teeth were modified to appear more human.

           

            Needless to say, scientists as well as the English people were outraged by the fraud as well as embarrassment for foolishly believing a hoax.  Of course, Dawson was labeled as fake and all his other archeological finds had also been forged. 

           

            Up to this point, the field of science had been thought to include only scholars and honest gentlemen.  The expectation that archeological findings were presented and supported by a renowned scientist, Sir Arthur Smith Woodward, possibly placed the human fault of believing what was presented as fact. Unfortunately, credentials and lack of ethics created a negative impact in the science community.

           

            Removing the human factor is impossible as humans thought processes are necessary.  Theories are based on thoughts and ideas of humans.  The hoax has made it more difficult to establish scientific findings as legitimate. The only positive effect of the hoax is the creation of a chemical, which allows scientist to date of origination.

           

            The Piltdown Hoax is probably the most famous paleontological hoax ever.  The hoax has been significant for the attention, which was paid to the issue of human evolution and also the length of time that elapsed from its discovery to the exposure of the findings as a hoax.   

           

            The lesson learned is to verify many sources, research, and studies prior to believing what is presented. Also, remembering titles and education do not always make for ethical and moral behaviors.

Body size and Sexual Dimorphism of Lemur, Spider Monkey, Baboon, Gibbon, and Chimpanzee

Body size and Sexual Dimorphism of Lemur, Spider Monkey, Baboon, Gibbon, and Chimpanzee

Lemurs

A.   Lemurs are only located on the southeast coast of Africa on the islands of Madagascar and Comoro. Lemurs can live in a variety of habitats such as the tropics, desert, and more as opposed to only one region. Lemurs are more commonly located in overgrown forest because they are rich in food supply such as a variety of nuts and fruits.

B.    Lemurs do not have sexual dimorphism based on size, although they do posses other variances, which are more common among one sex. For example, the male's ante brachial gland is larger and thus more visible. Also, similar to humans, the male scrotum is more clearly visible for easy identification of male characteristics.

C.    Lemurs are arboreal, meaning Lemurs are able to move quickly and virtually invisibly throughout the forest. They have adapted to living high up, avoiding most predators. Lemurs have small bodies, which support them in their skills to move quickly as well as hide in congested locations.

D.    

Spider Monkey

A.    Spider monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Similar to Lemurs, Spider Monkeys are arboreal. Spider monkeys have tails, which allow them to grasp and swing from branch to branch without opposable thumbs. Spider Monkeys are social and gather in groups of 20 to 30. Although at night, they separate into smaller groups. Spider monkeys locate their foods from the tops of trees.  They eat nuts, fruits, bird eggs, and spiders. They are vocal and are able to communicate through a variety of sounds.

B.    Spider Monkeys have sexual dimorphism in their size. Males are slightly larger than female Spider Monkeys. Due to males’ larger size, they usually weigh a bit more than their female counterpart. The male Spider Monkeys usually gather in small groups with other males, the females usually are alone or with their young.

C.   Spider Monkeys are small in stature, which allows them to quickly and quietly move from tree to tree. Spider Monkeys are very strong and have a tail, which allows them to grasp branches in the trees staying away from their predators.

D.    

Baboon

a.     Baboons can be located in Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. There are five different species.  Baboons are one of the largest monkeys to exist.  Males usually weigh 33 to 82 pounds and are 20 to 40 inches tall.  Unlike Lemurs and Spider Monkeys, Baboons do not have a tail.  Baboons are usually located on the ground they can climb trees to eat, sleep, and view possible predators easily.

b.     Male baboons are much larger than female baboons. Male baboons weigh about 40 pounds. Female baboons usually weigh less at approximately 20 pounds. Baboons’ facial size and shape are other examples of sexual dimorphism. The female Baboons' head and face grow slows down earlier than the male Baboon. The male canines have been measured to be almost four times taller than those in female Baboons. The female also has the ability to nurse and groom infants who may not be hers.

c.     Baboons are able to easily climb trees related to their opposable thumbs and fingers. Their size assist them to seek their prey and collect foods they like to eat.

d.      

Gibbon

a.     Gibbons inhabit tropical and subtropical rain forest of Southeast Asia as well as parts of China. They are rarely on the ground and stay primarily in the trees. The do not have tails. They have long arms and have hook shaped hands, which allow them to grasp branches and reach far away branches for movement or to collect food.  They swing from tree to tree up to 35 miles per hour. Gibbons are monogamous and live in family groups only.  They food consist of fruit.  Gibbons weigh approximately nine to 20 pounds.

b.     Gibbons have very slight sexual dimorphisms in size. Although they do not generally have a size difference, they do have differences in fur coloring. The female Gibbon is white cheeked and have cream colored fur with a tiny patch of black on the top of their head and the male gibbon is completely black except for white patches on their cheeks.  When born, Gibbons’ fur is cream colored and changes to black at one year of age.  When they ago more, their fur changes color depending on their sex.

c.     The Gibbons fur color provides a camouflage allowing the mother to hide her offspring, less than one year of age, and protect from predators. Gibbons are able to swing throughout the trees quickly, which allow them to get away from predators.
d.

Chimpanzee

a.     Chimpanzees are located in the rain forest and savannas.  They are arboreal and terrestrial animals.  They spend equal time in trees and on land. The Chimpanzee has very long arms and short legs.  They usually live in large groups.  They are able to walk on their hands/knuckles.  Chimpanzees are able to climb trees and build nests to rest during the daytime. They eat a variety of plants as well as small monkeys or infants of other groups of chimpanzees.

b.     There is sexual dimorphism among chimpanzees regarding their size. Males are slightly larger than females. Male Chimpanzees weigh approximately 100 pounds and are around five feet tall. Female Chimpanzees weigh approximately 80 pounds and have less muscle mass than their male counterparts. Chimpanzees are male dominant and have strong aggression amongst groups.

c.     The considerable size difference of male and female Chimpanzees allows the male to appear more dominant. Chimpanzees are larger than other animals and are usually the predator.

d.    

 

Summary

Many of the primates have minimal sexual dimorphisms related to their size and weight.  This fact is also true with humans as well.  In my research, it appears evolution has created larger sized primates based on their environment and resources.  Each species has developed mechanisms to adapt to their safety from predators.  It also appears the Chimpanzee species is the most evolved and similar to humans.