Heat

Heat as an environmental stress on a person negatively impacts the survival of humans by disturbing homeostasis. It does so by making it harder for the body to lose excess body heat. With the addition of high humidity, it becomes even harder for the body to cool itself because the sweat does not evaporate as quickly. Heat can cause heat strokes which can result in death when severe enough.

A short term way humans have adapted to heat is by sweating.  Sweating is the body’s way of releasing excess heat to prevent the body from overheating.

A facultative way that humans have adapted to heat is by tanning. By tanning, a person's skin tone becomes temporarily darker making it so that the surface of the body absorbs more of the heat from the sun. 

A developmental way that humans have adapted to heat is by hair loss. Humans have adapted to being less hairy in order to better regulate heat. We lack a lot of body hair that most other animals have. 

A cultural way that humans have adapted to heat is by their choice of clothing. When it’s hotter, people often choose to wear clothing such as shorts and tank tops. They also choose to wear clothes that are lighter in color and lighter in terms of material. People may also wear hats to shade themselves from the heat from the sun.

Piltdown Hoax

The Piltdown hoax was a situation in which someone forged fossils that seemed like they were a lot older than they actually were and of a different species than the original bones.  The fossils were found at a site in Piltdown in the England in 1912 by geologist Charles Dawson. At that time the fossils were significant because they suggested that humans developed a large brain before they walked upright. This discovery caused different effects on the scientific community because the fossils were thought to be the oldest human fossil remains. These fossils could be used as evidence of Darwin’s theory.

            The biggest human fault that came into play was self-interest. The scientists involved in the finding of these fossils were very focused on how the findings benefited them. Because their focus was on self rather than science, objectivity no longer was a factor in the evaluation of the fossils. Like the video states, any evidence that may have disputed one of the scientist’s theory could have been thrown out. They accepted evidence that supported their theories. Their lack of objectivity greatly impacts the scientific process because they choose what lines up with their ideas rather than what is true and proven.

            A positive aspect of the scientific method that was responsible for revealing the skull to be a fraud was further investigation using more advanced tools. Scientists that were not involved in the finding of the fossils and therefore more objective, ran chemical tests that proved that the fossils were not as old as first imagined. They also looked at the teeth under a microscope which proved that the teeth were filed down to the size that they were indicating that the fossils may have been forged.

            I don’t think that it is possible to remove the “human factor” from science to reduce the chance of errors like this happening again. Everyone has their own agendas and often hears what they want to hear so to speak. I wouldn’t want to remove the human factor from science because it is that human factor that leads the way to new discoveries and innovations based on different scientists’ passions and biases. I think it is just important to make sure that things are cross-checked and the scientific method is used properly.

            The most important life lesson to take away from this historical event is to always get the facts straight. It is important when doing any type of research to cross check things and make sure that sources are reputable. It is important to not believe everything that is told to you without proper verification. It is also important to be skeptical about things in order to make sure that what you’re accepting as fact truly is factual and not based on opinion or biased research.