Human Variation & Race

Human Variation & Race

Solar radiation impacts the survival of humans with too high or too low of levels of exposure. Solar radiation is needed for the body to receive Vitamin D. Having inadequate amounts of Vitamin D can contribute to high blood pressure, weakened protection of UV rays, and lack developmental factors such as skeletal deformities. Overexposure of UVB radiation can cause damage to the DNA. UVB radiation is directly absorbed into the cells by the DNA which can cause skin cancer. This damage at the genetic level disturbs homeostasis and is life threatening to the species.

 

Humans have adapted to higher levels of solar radiation in many ways, and there are many factors of the adaptation. Unfortunately, we do not have a short term adaptation. When there is too much exposure to solar radiation, the skin burns.

Melanin is 1 out of 3 factors that alter skin color to assist with protection from the UV exposure by absorbing the UV (ultra-violet) radiation that causes genetic mutations. The melanin production is a result of facultative adaptation – tanning. Tanning is the result of temporarily increased melanin production caused by exposure of solar radiation. For some individuals, their skin tone changes from the summer months to the winter months when there is less exposure. This response occurs in all humans except for Albinos who carry a genetic mutation that prevents their melanocytes from producing melanin.

This leads to the developmental change. Individuals that have had a higher exposure to solar radiation tend to have a darker complexion due to the increased production of melanin. Individuals located in warmer climates such as the tropics tend to wear less clothing due to the heat; therefore, their skin is more exposed to the solar radiation. Over time, these individuals will produce more melanin and they will have a darker skin tone. Individuals whose cells do not adapt to the change become more likely to develop life threatening skin cancers. Individuals that are in northern locations tend to have a colder climate which requires them to wear additional clothing. The additional clothing blocks the UV exposure which does not allow the melanin to produce as rapidly as those in warmer climates. The lack of melanin leaves these individuals with a fair skin tone.

There are many cultural adaptations to high solar radiation. There is the old fashioned way of protecting ourselves – shelter and shade, and then clothing. There are also the advanced methods like sunglasses and umbrellas, and most importantly, sunscreen. Although sunscreen doesn’t keep someone completely protected, it allows individuals with fair skin to be exposed for a longer than normal period of time without causing damage.


The benefit of studying across environmental clines is to see how different people adapt to certain environmental influences. If we studied only one environment, we wouldn’t be able to see the positive and negative impacts of solar radiation. For example, if we were to only study the hotter climates, it would be much harder to discuss the effects of sunburns and skin cancer, or how the melanin protects the skin. The different adaptations can be used to resolve some of the health issues we see today. Being able to see the impact across different cultures provides us with a better understanding as to how much solar radiation is a healthy amount.

 

Using race to understand the variation of the adaptations of solar radiation allows us to look at the specific differences between the races to see how each one’s traits are beneficial to their environment; however, the study of environmental influences is better. Although we can study the different races to see how each one is better suited for their environment, if we study the environment, we can see how these individuals adapted to fit their environment.

Language Blog

Part 1: You were asked to engage in a conversation for 15 minutes where you were not allowed to use any version of a symbolic language (no speaking, writing, or ASL).

Holding a conversation with someone when you are unable to speak makes the conversation very difficult. In an effort to communicate without saying anything, I turned to acting out my responses during the conversation. This was hilarious to my husband, which whom I was speaking to, but very aggravating for me because I could not get my point across unless my husband was patient and paid very close attention. It turned into more of a game then a conversation, and then the game quickly became more of an annoyance. The conversation was no longer a conversation because neither one of us wanted to try and talk about anything that would be too hard to discuss. By the end of the 15 minutes, the only thing accomplished was a good laugh. My husband thought it was funny to watch me struggle through my efforts of communication; however, if this had been a long term project, I believe we would end up learning how to communicate with one another by learning each other’s language.

In a scenario where these were two separate cultures, the culture that can speak would have the advantage in explaining the complex ideas. The speaking culture usually becomes impatient with the other culture because speaking has such a quick response, where other means of communication take time and effort. Individuals in our culture that have difficulty with spoken language are the deaf. My next door neighbors are deaf, and at first, it was very difficult to speak with them, but eventually, we learned how to communicate with one another. They were very patient with me and my husband and we were very patient with them. It’s been 2 years since we’ve been neighbors, and communicating has become much easier, but we still do not get to talk about larger scale things because of the complications in our communication. The most important thing is to be understanding and patient. If patience is shown, and the effort is given, the language barrier can be broken.

Part 2: You were asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, not vocal intonation, not head, facial, or body movements.

Holding a conversation with someone when you are unable to show any type of emotion or movement in correlation with your conversation is also very difficult, but not as difficult as the first experiment talked about above. The conversation was easier than the first because we understood each other’s communication, but following the guidelines was much harder. Immediately, I failed this experiment by raising my eyebrows when I responded to a question. I soon failed again from the tones of my voice, then a hand gesture, and so on. I continued through the 15 minutes with miserable success. It is so deeply embedded in my character to talk with my hands, and to annunciate questions or statements with a clear question or excitement in my tone.

My partner in this experiment wasn’t affected during our conversation; however, had he not been aware of what I was doing, there was a great potential of him feeling unappreciated, under-valued, etc. because I was not able to show any reaction or emotion. To me, I felt very robotic and removed from the conversation.

The use of signs in our language is very important. Body language is a very big key in understanding one another. Slouching, slumping, eye contact, etc. are all very important in the messages. Some people don’t pick up on body language as easily as others, but it is a natural instinct to recognize a person’s body language. The benefit of reading body language is a key to our daily lives. For example, the certain look from a parent to their child when they are interrupting a conversation, the co-worker that is yawning and not keeping eye contact while being informed of a new process. Aside from reading body language, it is important that we also pay attention to our own. I can’t think of a scenario where it would be a good idea to not read body language, but it is so important to be in tune with your own, for example, body language in a job interview to show confidence, not nervousness or showing the enthusiasm during someone’s conversation. Overall, body language is its own unique form of communication that we must use in our daily lives.