Human Variation

When we travel to another country we get sick because of the climate, food, or water. Some people get sick from high altitude. The symptoms one feels can be headaches, decreased appetite, trouble sleeping and shortness of breath. One starts feeling the symptoms a couple days later and doing activities such as walking makes things worse. Human’s homeostasis was evolved at a lower altitude so when we are at a high altitude, stress produces over the body. Such stresses are hypoxia which reduces available oxygen, solar radiation, cold, low humidity, and rough terrain. Hypoxia is what causes the greatest stress to the heart, lungs, and brain.

Short-term

Lack of oxygen causes an increase in breathing rate. the heart beats faster; the stroke volume is slightly decreased; and non-essential bodily functions are suppressed, resulting in a decline in food digestion efficiency (as the body suppresses the digestive system in favor of increasing its cardiopulmonary reserves.

Facultative Adaptation

Reduction in atmospheric reduction Changes include production of red blood cells. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin which is the protein responsible for transporting oxygen to organs and tissues. The lungs enlarge and make it easier to transport oxygen.

Developmental

This occurs in high altitude natives during growth and development. Altitude doesn’t appear to affect reproduction in those who are genetically adapted to high altitude. The way their body processes glucose is different from others. They burn glucose in a way that permits more efficient oxygen use.

Cultural

Tibetans drink butter tea which is warm milk that provides a lot of caloric energy which is well suited for high altitudes. They also wear long thick dresses called chuba.

The benefits of studying human variation is that we are learning what to do ourselves if we ever take a vacation somewhere with high elevation. We know the symptoms and the ways our body reacts. We also know what people use and wear to keep themselves warm. One might think that we wouldn’t get severely sick from high elevation, but we would consider that we are used to low elevation. This information can be used in a productive way if you or someone you know is going somewhere like Tibet, Colorado, Peru, etc. we already know what precautions to take.

I feel like using race in understanding variations in adaptations isn’t correct. There is absolutely no connection to high elevation and race and how our body reacts to it. It is important to study environmental influences on adaptation so one doesn’t confuse race thinking that because you’re from a certain country you won’t have a problem adapting to the environment hence high altitude. Adapting to something doesn’t mean it has to do with race; it has to do with how your body reacts.

No Language!

I let my friend in on what the assignment was on. He was very excited to see how I’d respond because I’m a very talkative person or at least always have something to say. For the next fifteen minutes, he talked to me in our car ride about how his day went and then started talking about the latest episode of True Blood. There was so much I wanted to say in regards to that topic and when he would ask questions all I knew was so shrug my shoulders, nod my head, and smile. He then asked me what I thought of the episode and I gave thumbs up. He asked me why I gave it thumbs up and I had such a hard time figuring out how to answer this without using language. At first I made my eyes really big because that’s what I thought of the question. I took a long pause because all I could think of was writing my answer down but I knew I couldn’t. In the end all I could manage to do was extend my hands and then with my index finger point to my neck pretending as if I’m slitting my throat. What I was trying to say was “There was a lot of killing going on”.

For the next fifteen minutes it felt good to talk and express how I felt about the episode. I kept getting interrupted because my friend would tell me to stop moving my hands or changing my tone. When I would think of something exciting that happened, my tone would get high. So then I tried talking in a monotone voice and not looking at him because I figured that was the only way to show no expression. It was pretty funny at first but then it got boring and complicated to talk with no expression or feeling in my voice. I asked my friend how he felt talking to me and he said that he felt like he was talking to a robot and that after awhile he lost interest in listening to me.

Did you find this experiment difficult or easy? Explain. (5 its)

At first when I read this I figured this was a very easy assignment. Going into it I wasn’t quite as right. Not being able to use my voice to answer questions was a bit annoying and complicated for me but it made me appreciate language.

What were the impressions of partners in the conversation? Did they alter their way of
communicating with you because of your absence of symbolic communication? Describe.

My partner didn’t make it easy on me. He wanted to challenge me and have me figure out ways to answer difficult questions.

Imagine that you and your partners in the conversation represent two different cultures meeting
for the first time. Which culture has the advantage in communicating complex ideas? What attitudes might the speaking culture have toward the culture that does not use symbolic language? Identify individuals in our culture that have difficulty communicating with spoken language and explore how that affects how those who do speak interact with those individuals. (10 its) 

If my culture and my partner’s culture met for a meeting, I feel like he would have the upper hand. Everyone there would understand him over me. They would think my way of communicating is too slow and would be impatient. I feel like their culture would look down on us for not using language and would feel like my culture is a burden because they would have to go out of their way to have ways to communicate with us to make the process easier. In our culture there are those who are deaf that have no way of communicating with others except in sign language. For someone that doesn’t sign, the only way to communicate with them is by jotting everything down in a sheet of paper. I have taken an ASL course and have learned that facial expressions are very important in signing.

1. 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.
• Ø  Were you able to last for the full 15 minutes of using only speech for communicating? What made this experiment difficult for you? (5 its)

I wasn’t able to last at first. Every time I would change my tone or use my hands to express myself, my partner made sure I’d start all over. It was very difficult because I am always using my hands.

How were your partners in this part of the experiment affected by your communication limitations? Explain. (5 its)

After awhile I was speaking in a monotone voice and my partner wasn’t engaged in the conversation. He said it bored him and he lost interest.

What does this experiment say about our use of “signs” in our language, i.e., how important is non-speech language techniques in our ability to communicate effectively? (5 its)

I feel like it’s very important because it makes us better understand those who can’t use language. It grows a whole new respect for them and also when we meet people who speak another language, we would have to communicate with them through sign.

Are there people who have difficulty reading body language? Describe the adaptive benefit to possessing the ability to read body language. Can you describe environmental conditions where there might be a benefit to not reading body language? (5 its) 

People with Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism have a difficult time picking up on body language. It is very useful to be able to pick up on that because sometimes there are things that people can’t communicate through language but their body language says it all. Like if someone is uncomfortable because you’re too close. They won’t say it but their body language will. I feel like it is a benefit in any environment to read body language.

Piltdown Hoax

1912 in an English town named Piltdown, Charles Dawson who was an amateur archaeologist claimed to have a piece of a human skull. Arthur Smith Woodward was a geologist who was invited to see it and Father Pierre a French paleontologist was also invited to Piltdown. That summer the trio found astonishing stuff like animal fossils. Dawson found a jawbone from the same skull that looked like an ape jawbone with human teeth. In Dec 1912, in the geological society Woodward made an announcement of their discovery. The scientists were amazed by their discovery and the founders have even said that these ancient human fossils might turn out to be the oldest of all.

After WWII, there was a new technique in which one could date how old the fossils were. This process was used by fluorine. In 1949 scientists conducted a fluorine test on Piltdown fossils. The results showed that the fossils were younger then said. In 1953 they tried again with better technology. It proved that artifacts had been stained and certain fossils were cut by steel knives. The teeth had been filed down; there were scratch marks found. The jaw bone was less than 100 hundred years and it was a female orangutan.

From what we can see, human faults here were jealousy, greed and lies. Dawson was so ambitious that he would do anything to make him known as the man who found the ancient human fossils along with his group. He also wanted England to be known as the country who found them. He wanted his county to stick out in the headlines. Obviously, what he did wasn’t right because he made thousands believe that he had found human fossils. He was taking credit for a hoax. When this was discovered, scientists were shocked and saddened. They felt like everything that had learned was for nothing, just a big lie.

The fluorine test was what told scientists that the fossils were very young. It also proved that the fossils were stained and that the jawbone belonged to a female orangutan. The fossils were cut down by steel knife and the teeth were filed down. Fluorine analyses can be used on bones only qnd bones are exposed by groundwater that contain fluorine. It can also be used by bones that are found in the same place.

I wouldn’t want to see humans removed from science. What would we have to replace them, robots? It wouldn’t be the same because humans are passionate about science and we like to hear what they have to say. There will be mistakes caused by humans, but that is why there are scientists who review their theories before putting it out to the public. Technology is more advanced now than it once was so it’ll be easier to detect another hoax.

What I’ve learned is that sometimes it is okay to second guess what you hear and see. For instance, here these poor people were hoaxed. Then again, I feel like with our improved technology it would be hard to fool scientists. It is why researchers review it and test it before they put It out to the public and it’s okay. No one wants to be fooled.

Comparative Primate Blog

LEMURS

The lemurs social group is a good size of 11-17 lemurs. They female lemurs have the advantage of staying in the same unit unlike the males. Most of the female lemurs are related because they’ve remained in the unit. The males leave when they reach sexual maturity and find other groups to mate in. The females are much higher than the male lemurs. There are a few males that are considered high ranking and they have more advantage than the lower ranking males. These higher ranking males get to interact with high rank females and by doing this they have access to mating them and access to food. When the groups get larger and larger, the low ranking males and females are forced to find other groups.

Breeding season usually lasts between 7 and 21 days. All of the adult females are ready to mate around the same time each year. The trait of sociality and mating is influenced by the environment the lemurs inhabit. The females usually give birth to only one baby because of the harsh environments. The males who are looking to mate check the woman’s genitals to have sexual intercourse and the female might either response or act aggressively. Sometimes it is the other way around and females might lift their tails and show the males their genitals. Because of the environment, they have high reproductive fertility with gestation periods lasting anywhere between 135 to 145 days. The females give birth each year.

SPIDER MONKEY

Spider monkeys display wild behavior and make rough barking sounds to scare away predators Spider monkeys prefer living in moist tropical forests, however, they can also be found in high rainforests, high mountain savanna forests and some marsh and swamp forests.   Spider Monkey’s conform to a fission-fusion social system which is a large group divided by smaller temporary sub-groups which is where the monkeys spend the majority of their time travelling and socializing. These sub groups usually consist of an adult male, an adult female and her dependent offspring. Mating begins with the female Spider Monkey approaching the male and showing him her genitals. They sniff each other to see if the other is ready for mating. Each female will give birth to one offspring every 3 or 4 years. The males are not involved in raising the offspring. Due to seasonal fruit shortages, competition between groups increases, and the need for smaller groups used to forage for fruits becomes necessary. The benefit of still being a part of a larger group however is beneficial in terms of protection from predators and larger numbers to increase chances of reproducing and mating.

BABOONS

Baboons like to live in savannas but are often seen in tropical forests. Their groups are extremely large ranging from 15-150. The group consists of males, females, and their offspring. The males leave and mate with other groups while the females stay in the same group. The higher ranked females can take food and water from lower ranked females. The differences in rank can have an effect on adaption of feeding behavior, stress physiology and reproduction success. http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/baboon/

Mating occurs when the female presents her swollen rump to a male baboon while grooming or when during her estrus cycle. Both males and females have multiple mates. There is no reproduction cycle so females give birth year around. Higher breeding females breed more often than lower ranking females. Higher ranking females have higher reproductive rates because they have more resources when it comes to food oppose to lower ranking females.

GIBBONS

GIBBONS

Gibbons live in small groups, male, female, and offspring. Most of their time is spent grooming each other. You can find them in tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia.

Gibbons stay with their same mate for a lifetime. Female gibbons are pregnant for 7 months and have one offspring at a time. Both the male and female rear the young. Unfortunately, gibbons are endangered and aren’t adapting quite well to new environments.

CHIMPANZEE

The male chimpanzees are in charge of their groups. Women have no high role in these groups. Chimpanzees can be found in rainforests, savannas, swamps, and dry woodlands. The group is very close and does most things together. The males get to stay in their groups until death while the women have to find new groups. This is a reason why male chimpanzees have such a great bond. One of their social activities is grooming each other.

            When the females are ready to mate, their genitals enlarge. The mate more when there’s an abundance of food. The females produce a single offspring. It is said that the males will kill the offspring if it isn’t theirs. There is a higher reproductive level when there’s more food. Chimpanzees are also endangered species because of habitat destruction.

Reproductive success depends a lot on the availiabitly of food. Some of these species are endangered because their habitats are being destroyed and they’re forced to live elsewhere. Once the migrate somewhere new, they’re having a difficult time adapting. Those who live in larger groups have a better chance of living because they can scare away their predators and find more food.