Human Variation and Race: Cold Adaption
Humans are amazingly adaptable. One environmental stress that some human cultures have generationally and therefore genetically adapted to is the cold. Cultures such as the Inuit of western Alaska and northern Canada areas survive in extreme colds that most Americans would not be able to endure for long without drastic cultural adaptions. The normal body core temperature of the average person is 98.6 F. If you go any lower, you may start to notice your body react in order to protect your core temperature which keeps your internal bodily conditions intact and safe. For example, your body may shiver (a short-term adaptation) in an effort to warm up and create your own heat, or the blood vessels in your skin will constrict in order to lose less heat. These reactions are the disturbance of homeostasis in order to combat environmental stress. A facultative adaptation to the cold would be gaining weight in order to gain a better barrier against the weather while also re...
