Human adaptations to higher altitudes

Human adaptations to higher altitudes

High altitude has a positive and negative effect on humans.Higher elevation interrupts homeostasis in several ways. When we breath air at sea level atmospheric pressure is about 14.7 pounds per square inch which allows for oxygen to easily pass through our lungs and into the blood. At higher altitudes low air pressure makes it harder for oxygen to enter the cardiovascular system. This is called hypoxia which can be referred to as oxygen deprivation. Other side-effects of this include lack of appetite, vomiting, headache, distorted vision, fatigue, and difficulty with memorizing and clearly thinking. There is also an increase in heart failure due to the amount of stress on the lungs. A positive effect that this has is "researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Harvard School of Global Health reported that people generally live longer at high altitudes and have a lower risk of dying from coronary artery disease. This positive effect occurs unless people have chronic breathing problems.The researchers speculated that mild hypoxia improves the way the heart functions and produces new blood vessels that increase blood flow for the heart. An alternative explanation presented by the authors is that increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun at higher altitudes increases the body's ability to produce vitamin D, which has beneficial effects on the heart." 

With short term adaptation there is an increase in breathing and heart rate to as much as double, even while resting. Pulse rate and blood pressure go up sharply as our hearts pump harder to get more oxygen to the cells

With faculative adaption and higher altitudes, humans can adapt fairly quickly to shifts in the density of oxygen. For example the primary solution for the Indians in the high mountains of Peru and Bolivia resolved to producing more hemoglobin which allows them to expand their lungs more. 

  

You can see Developmental adaptions in the people of A recent study of Tibetan who live their lives at around 15,000 feet has shown that they have 10 oxygen-processing genes not commonly found in lowland populations.

Cultural adaptations are seen with with climbers who use the tool of oxygen tanks to help them reach really tall peaks of mountains which cannot be reached without extra oxygen. 

By studying all these different types of adaptations we can see how amazing humans are and what we are capable of! We can adapt and change to live in harsh environments that can positively effect us. For example this effects us in a productive way with the athletes in the Olympics because they train at higher altitudes for months so when the go back down to sea level their lungs are expanded to the hemoglobin. 

We cant use race to understand the variations of these adaptations because race has no genetic basis. It is better to look at these as environmental influences on adaptions because most humans can achieve what these people achieved that live in these harsh climates. 

Language post

Language blog post

Could you imagine what our world would be like without any ability to communicate with one another? Over the weekend I was asked to conduct an experiment dealing with language barriers between one human to another. The first part of the experiment included engaging in a conversation for 15 minutes where I was not allowed to use any version of a symbolic language (no speaking, writing, or ASL), and the second half I was asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, no vocal intonation, no head, facial, or body movements.

Overall both the experiments were very hard to do, but I found this way easier than the other version of communicating. Acting out things like in charades was more difficult than just mouthing the words and using facial expressions. My partner throughout the conversation seemed to focus in more on the way I moved my mouth, taking the visuals of my face, and translating it into words. When communicating complex ideas the speaking culture would be the best and easiest way to communicate ideas because you could convey emotion the simplest way. I think the speaking culture would look at the symbolic culture in a negative way by thinking less of them because they don’t use sounds. A good example of individuals in our culture that have issues speaking that we adapt to is foreign people with little English. As the listener we have to look at the persons facial expressions and hand gestures to communicate efficiently.  

The second experiment I was asked to spend 15 minutes communicating without any physical embellishments, i.e., no hand signals, no vocal intonation, no head, facial, or body movements. I had the most incredibly hard time not using the vocal intonations! I was amazed! It was impossible for me to have a conversation because I kept having to repeat myself over and over. I never knew that was such a big part of our language and how we talk! My partner just kept looking at me with this confused face about what I was saying and they turned there ear to my mouth to try and hear what I was saying. I had no idea how important non speech techniques were in our society. Just facial expressions and hand gestures alone make such an impact in the way we speak.  I think that there are people in this world that can’t read body language and it leads to very bad consequences if you can’t read if someone is angry at you. I think in a war type of scenario it would benefit not to use body language.

This was a very interesting experiment between the two different types of communicating. I was very interested and hysterical on the second method of communicating and I found that a world where we had these limitations would be way to difficult.