1. High altitudes can be difficult for most humans to navigate for a few reasons. There are extreme changes in climate, days can be very hot and nights can be freezing and the air pressure is low. Low air pressure is dangerous as it makes it more difficult for oxygen to enter our system as needed. This results in hypoxia, which is the lack of oxygen, and whose symptoms start as the inability to do low impact physical activity without fatiguing and can escalate to pulmonary and cerebral edema in the worst cases. Miscarriages are more common at higher altitudes as well due to the fetuses receiving less oxygen from the mothers.
2. There are four adaptations that help with the human responses to high altitudes; short term, facultative, developmental and cultural.
Short Term: One short term response when a human is moving into a higher altitude is an increase of pulse and blood pressure. This happens because the heart is working harder to move oxygen through the body. This response is only meant to help in the short term until the more long term acclimatizations can occur.
Facultative: Part of acclimatization to the higher altitude is the body producing an increased amount of red blood cells to help carry more oxygen. Even with the the adjustments in the body certain tasks remain difficult, like strenuous exercise, as the body is not at it's normal state. When returning to normal altitude the body will have more red blood cells than needed and will take a few weeks to return to normal.
Developmental: The Tibetan population is an example of people more genetically fit to live in high elevation. The Tibetans have expanded blood vessels which allows them to more effectively deliver oxygen throughout their body. Their larger blood vessels came from their lungs ability to synthesize larger amounts of nitric oxide from the air when they breath. The increase in blood vessel size was found to be an effect from the gas.
Cultural: An example of a cultural adaptation for high altitude would be a mountain climbers use of an oxygen tank. With the oxygen tank to assist with their breathing and maintaining appropriate oxygen levels the climbers won't face the hypoxia.
3. Studying the human response to oxygen levels or lack of oxygen due to high altitude can help with finding ways treat medical conditions that cause similar conditions. COPD and asthma both cause patients struggle with breathing and potentially need medical equipment of some kind to keep their breathing regulated and oxygen levels normal. Studying across platforms like these can help scientists and doctors potentially help find new or better ways to help treat these patients.
4. There is no way to accurately use race to understand these adaptations. The adaptions discussed, with the exception of the cultural, are all genetics. Race, being a social construct, based on societal cues would not be an appropriate way to try to understand the information.
Information - https://www2.palomar.edu/anthro/adapt/adapt_3.htm
Picture in short term adaptations - https://www.ucsfhealth.org/treatments/extracorporeal-membrane-oxygenation
Picture in facultative adaptations - https://www.webmd.com/dvt/ss/slideshow-dvt-improve-circulation
Picture in developmental adaptations - https://www.fi.edu/heart/blood-vessels
Informaiton in developmental adaptations - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2004/02/high-altitude-adaptations-evolution/#close
Picture in cultural adaptations - https://abbyseniorthesis.weebly.com/oxygen-systems.html
Late submission for half-credit. Once the sample post for this stress was published on the course blog, I couldn't allow for full credit.
ReplyDeleteGood post throughout. Accurate opening explanation for high altitude stress, good coverage of all four adaptations. Well done on the last two prompts.