week 8

1. High altitudes have a couple of negative impacts on humans. First, in high altitudes the oxygen level is the same as at sea level but the air pressure is lower. With lower air pressure it makes it harder for a human to breath, and with it harder to breath life gets harder when you try to do any activity. Also, at with low air pressure it puts stress on the heart, lungs, and arteries. When the heart is under stress the possibility of having a heart attack goes up. Lastly, the humidity can be very low at higher altitudes which can dehydrate a human much faster then at sea level.
2.  A short term way people have adapted to high altitudes, such as climbing a mountain, is by the use of an oxygen tank.

 An example of facultative adaptation to high altitudes would be the increase in red blood cells to carry more  oxygen, the increase in lung size, and also there is an increase in muscles to move gases faster through a human.

An example of developmental adaption to high altitudes would be in inheriting traits from ancestors and overtime these traits make it easier for a human to live under the stress of the altitude level. Humans that live in the mountains of Bolivia and have ancestors from that region produce more hemoglobin in their blood and have increased their lung expansion. 

  

An example of cultural adaption's to higher levels of altitude would include drinking lots of water when high in the mountains because it is easy to get dehydrated. 

 

3.  It is beneficial to learn about people who live in different conditions around the world. It is good to learn how cultures have adapted to the environment they live in whether it be by skin color or enlarging of the lungs.  Explorations like this one can help people learn how the human body can adapt to the world around them and see how people around the world have adapted to there environment. 

4. Race, I believe should not be used to better understand a humans adaption to there surroundings. Many societies are mixed with many different races, so you cant just pick out people of the same race and say they adapted better. Environmental adaption's should be used in talking about human adaption to the area they live in and is more accurate then looking at a specific race of people.