Human Variation and Race

1. Negatives on High altitude are:

• Alternating daily extremes of climate such as heat blazing days to cold freezing nights. 
• Strong winds with low humidity resulting in rapid dehydration 
• Low air pressure
• At high mountains our bodies develop an insufficient physiological response. These include responses such as breathing and heart rate double even while resting, this can be really bad for people with weak hearts. 
• High pressure makes it difficult for oxygen to enter our vascular systems. As a result of such high pressure can be Hypoxia; also known as oxygen deprivation. 
• Symptoms of hypoxia are fatigue after climbing a short amount of stairs.
• High altitude sickness includes lack of appetite, vomiting, head ache, distorted visions, difficulties with memory; trying to remember things, and thinking clearly. 
• Some serious cases include hemorrhaging in the lungs and  abnormal accumulation of fluid around the brain. This is an increase risk of heart failure due to the stress place on the lungs, heart, and arteries at high altitudes. All of this can result in death if not returned to normal air pressure levels. 
• Miscarriages are of high risk because the fetus receives a low amount of oxygen from their mother.  

2. Four ways in which humans have adapted to this stress
Short-term:

• The pulse rate and blood pressure go up at a high altitude as our hearts pump harder to get oxygen to the cells. 

 Faculative adaption:

• An example of this is, later a more efficient response is developed as acclimatization takes place, additional red blood cells and capillaries are produce to carry more oxygen. 

Development adaptations:

• the solution of people living in high altitudes are that people such as Bolivians and Peruvians have the potential to develop more hemoglobin to increase the size of their lugs. 

Cultural Adaptations: 

• Tibetans are known for living in high altitudes and they have a unique cuisine they eat to live in high altitudes.

        Their meals consists of:

  

• yak meat ( they do not eat fish) (Yak meat) 
• milk
• mutton

They try to intake as many protein foods as possible since their bodies need it to keep warm and help them fight the cold at high altitudes.

3. The benefits of studying human variations from this perspective is that people will be more informed about the consequences of certain actions. For example if a group goes hiking to mountains where there's a high altitude, and some one in the group has a weak heart. Along the the way up the person with the weak heart might just fall unconscious because his heart is having a hard time pumping due to the high elevation. Now had the leader of the group studied about human variation then he would have had some sort of understanding what the body will do when it is exposed to very high altitudes. That is just one example of the many that help express the importance of human variation across environmental clines. There are many more examples but another great purpose to why studying human variation is important is due to environmental changes our bodies change as well to try to acclimatize, and according to how the body acts it should be recorded on paper to have a better understanding of what is good and what is bad. Like how at carnivals they have a warning sign on rollercaoster entrances that the ride is not recommended to people with bad hearts or hears diseases, things like those will help prevents unwanted consequences. One example of how this information can be used in a productive way is athletes go to high elevated places to train and when they come down to normal levels their lungs have expanded at the high elevated place meaning that they have more stamina for a certain amount of time until their lungs go back to normal. This information is useful to help us because this way we will have a better understanding to why some people are different than others. For example people born in high altitudes tend to have bigger lungs due to the affect, and in some cycling competitions those people are excluded because it isn't fair for the normal elevation people. Since the persons with big lungs can endure longer they would most likely win all the time, therefore; they are removed from some cycling tournaments, not because of their race or any other thing it's just that they are to well prepared and leave everyone else at a disadvantage. 

4. One could use race to understand the variations of the adaptions by saying that Peruvian Indians are the race who best exemplify those traits which are listed on number 2. Race though has nothing to do with these changes, I mean what if these traits are seen in someone who isn't part of that race. Then what will happen? my guess is the researcher or scientist will have to start all over again. The study of  environmental influences on adaption is a better way to understand human variation than by the use of race because not all Peruvian Indians express those traits. The idea of race though makes no sense in my opinion when trying to explain human variation, because whats a persons race have to do anything with how they are acclimatized to the environment around them. They may live in the place they do because that's where their ancestors lived and they want to make sure their ancestors resting place isn't disturbed by others; things like that, and the studies are not always accurate because a race can vary. There fore the study of environmental influences on adaption is a better way to understand human variation because its universal and not looking at a certain race to come up with a conclusion. It takes a look at what the body does and why it does it no matter the persons race, most of our bodies are the same so the study will be more accurate and be used universally around the globe to help people prevent unwanted consequences.