To Breath or Not to Breath

Week 8 Blog Post

1) Select only ONE of the following environmental stresses: (a) heat, (b) high levels of solar radiation, (c) cold, or (d) high altitude. Discuss specifically how this environmental stress negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis.

The environmental stress I chose is (d) high altitude. 

While there are two different kinds of altitude changes with hot days/cold nights, strong winds/humidity low and low air pressure, I am focusing on the low air pressure that happens in higher mountain regions.

While the oxygen level at an altitude of 2 miles is the same than at sea level, the air pressure drops by 30%.  This causes the body to not be able to have oxygen enter the vascular system as easily as it did at sea level. As a result, the person will feel fatigue, and at high altitude may have a loss of appetite, vomiting, headaches, which are symptoms of hypoxia (oxygen deprivation). The body tries to counter with a physiological response by increasing the breathing, but that can cause heart failure.

Prolonged hypoxia will eventually lead to the death of the person, unless oxygen is provided.

2) Identify 4 ways in which humans have adapted to this stress, choosing one specific adaptation from each of the different types of adaptations listed above (short term, facultative, developmental and cultural. Include images of adaptation.

In regards to high altitude the short term adaptation or initial physiological response for an individual that is new to high altitude would be increase in ventilation (breathing faster and deeper), which causes an increase in the heart rate as well as an increase in blood pressure.Another way is to slow down activities and rest to not put the body under more stress.

This adaptation will change as soon as the environmental stress is removed. 

             

 

                               Increased heart rate and blood pressure by breathing faster

 

The facultative adaptation to high altitude would be that the body acclimatizes to the environment. It would do so by producing more red blood cells that help carry more oxygen throughout the body. Bringing more blood throughout the body will help with the fatigue and headaches. The lungs increase to allow the osmosis of oxygen and carbon monoxide to take place. This adaptation is only going to go away once the environmental stress is removed, however it takes longer than the actual short term adaptation to vanish. 

 

One developmental adaptation to high altitude would be the increased production of hemoglobin to help carry increased oxygen levels that can be carried by the blood.  This adaptation was observed in people living in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru and the population has lived there for over 2,000 years. 

                                                       Aymara Woman in Peru Mountain

Another developmental adaptation would be the change of the DNA of a population, such as increasing the size of the heart and lungs. This happened to the people of Tibet and Nepal, both of whom are living in the Asian Himalayas for generations. This happened, because the population adapted by breathing faster, yet not increasing their hemoglobin levels. The DNA test of a man from Tibet showed that he had 10 more oxygen processing genes that a person living at sea level. Those genes will be passed on to his offspring, as it is very beneficial for the climate he lives in.

                                                          Image of a man in Tibet

The cultural adaptation to high altitude and low air pressure is the use of oxygen masks. They are used by mountain climbers that otherwise would (usually) not reach the top of a mountain alive. I say usually, because I remember that mountain climber Reinhold Messner and Peter Haberle, climbed Mount Everest in 1978 without the help of any oxygen tanks.
 

                                 The use of oxygen tanks in 1933 (above) and now (below)

3. What are the benefits of studying human variations from this perspective across environmental clines? Can information from explorations like this be useful to help us in any way? Offer one example how this information can be used in a productive way.

The benefits of studying human variations is to find out what we can and cannot do under certain environmental conditions. Having this knowledge prevents people from entering regions that they might not be suited for or need equipment for. It also helps people that might get altitude sickness to use all kinds of remedies to adjust to the low air pressure.

The Olympic Teams of the United States has a training facility in Colorado that uses the physiological benefits, such as producing more hemoglobin, during competition. The effects wear of within a few weeks, so studying the human variation helped to determine how long they should stay in the camp and when they should leave it to enter the competition.

4. How would you use race to understand the variation of the adaptation listed in #2? Explain why the study of environmental influences on adaptation is a better way to understand human variation than by the use of race.

A race of a population does not influence the adaptations to high altitude conditions and low air pressure, which is the environmental stress I chose. Race plays a part in the adaptation to high levels of solar radiation, e.g. white and African American.

It is better to study the environmental influences on adaptation rather than the use of race to understand the human variation, because not all of them, such as my choice, are influenced by race.

Who to Play Charades with

Language Post 

For the first experiment I was not allowed to talk for 15 minutes, while everybody else could.  I decided to conduct my experiment amongst some of my best friends at girls-night out.  We usually just hang out, have wine and catch up on current events in our and everybody else's life.   

Since we do this on a regular basis I was sure it would be an easy task.  Well, it was not. I tried to gesture that my two boys had a long Christmas list. All they got was that I was talking about a male or two with something long.  Now mind you it was girls night out and they were on a one track mind, but they did not get much of what else I wanted to convey. I tried to engage into the conversation about their week and failed.  It was like I played Charade with the worst bunch of people ever.   Even when they really tried they had a hard time following my train of thought. 

It was very frustrating and got tiring real quick. Everybody was engaged in it for about 8 minutes and then I just gave up.I ended up waiting out the time and just listened. 


The only thing they did understand was when I raised  my empty wine glass and pointed my finger at the bottle on the table. That made up for all they did not understand.


I immigrated to the US from Germany about 20 years ago and felt old frustrations coming up as back then I had very limited English and huge language barriers. I think I got frustrated so easily, because I had flashbacks of people not understanding me. I have been a writer most of my life and the use of words, written or verbal, is a huge joy in my life. Not using language of any kind for 15 minutes during dinner was brutal.

The second experiment, where I was only allowed to use my voice, no gestures, no facial expressions and no change in town, I conducted at home with my two boys. My kids are 11 and 13 years old and I told them how I had to speak while I was speaking without gesture and change in tone.  I had to say it twice, before they even paid attention and realized I was already on the task.

I never realized how I stretch words out when I talk to my teenagers and how much they need me to enforce every word I say. For example I would ask " Can you pleeeeaasssseee feed the dog", usually waiving the empty bowl, raising my voice or flailing my arms.  Just talking plain and simple did not get their attention much.

So I decided to not ask them to do their chores, but to just talk about the weekend they had at their dads and about my weekend at home. I noticed that they lost interest in what I was saying pretty quickly. We were talking about the weekend and I had my hands tucked into my pockets. Even though their conversation was very animated I felt pretty lame just talking in a monotone voice. I had a great weekend, but saying it the way I did, it sounded totally lame.  I even tried to tell a joke and it was not the hit it usually is.  

My facial expression was like this


but inside I was like this:

While I am a big fan of words, them coming out of my mouth did not seem to be enough. Spoken words apparently need animation. I will no  longer criticize my boys for sending me a text message filled with emoticons ... at least not until they learn how to become animated writers that do not need crutches like this.