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Weird question, after a certain temperature on each end, you will die. Extreme heat and extreme cold are just as deadly. However, human beings evolved principally in the tropics, so we are a bit more suited for the warm weather that the earth throws at us then the cold weather it throws at us. Just look at all the life in the tropics and compare it to the south pole.
Now, besides the feel of the temperature, if you live in a cold place you have to do things like shovel snow, drive in snow, scrape ice, etc. Food for thought.
Weird question, after a certain temperature on each end, you will die. Extreme heat and extreme cold are just as deadly. However, human beings evolved principally in the tropics, so we are a bit more suited for the warm weather that the earth throws at us then the cold weather it throws at us. Just look at all the life in the tropics and compare it to the south pole.
Humans evolved in the tropics, but we adapted to different local climates. People in tropical areas tend to have longer extremities, as the greater surface area allows them to cool more easily. In contrast, people in cold areas evolved to be stockier, and in many cases larger overall, to allow for greater retention of heat. Physiologically speaking, someone from Europe just isn't going to do as well in tropical weather, and the reverse is true for Africans in cold climates.
There are some exceptions to this rule however. The body proportions of Native Americans don't notably change if they are in arctic Canada or the Amazon. The reason seems to be that all of the Americas was originally populated by a relatively small population of Siberians, who were already cold adapted. Given they were a small group, they were missing a lot of the genetic diversity in Eurasia. They simply couldn't redevelop a lanky, warm-adapted body easily, any more than they could re-evolve skin as dark as Africans, once the genes were absent from the local gene pool - at least not in the only 12,000 or so years they had in the Americas.
Humans evolved in the tropics, but we adapted to different local climates. People in tropical areas tend to have longer extremities, as the greater surface area allows them to cool more easily. In contrast, people in cold areas evolved to be stockier, and in many cases larger overall, to allow for greater retention of heat. Physiologically speaking, someone from Europe just isn't going to do as well in tropical weather, and the reverse is true for Africans in cold climates.
Is this why there are so many White people walking around New York City in shorts in February?
Is this why there are so many White people walking around New York City in shorts in February?
I know that was partially tongue-in-cheek, but FWIW, if the wind isn't blowing I find it pretty easy to be seriously underdressed in even 20-degree weather.
I haven't worn shorts in the winter since high school though. Around the same time period, I used to wear a ski cap until like May.
Humans evolved in the tropics, but we adapted to different local climates. People in tropical areas tend to have longer extremities, as the greater surface area allows them to cool more easily. In contrast, people in cold areas evolved to be stockier, and in many cases larger overall, to allow for greater retention of heat. Physiologically speaking, someone from Europe just isn't going to do as well in tropical weather, and the reverse is true for Africans in cold climates.
There are some exceptions to this rule however. The body proportions of Native Americans don't notably change if they are in arctic Canada or the Amazon. The reason seems to be that all of the Americas was originally populated by a relatively small population of Siberians, who were already cold adapted. Given they were a small group, they were missing a lot of the genetic diversity in Eurasia. They simply couldn't redevelop a lanky, warm-adapted body easily, any more than they could re-evolve skin as dark as Africans, once the genes were absent from the local gene pool - at least not in the only 12,000 or so years they had in the Americas.
GREAT post! I always laugh when I see someone say that "humans are meant for/evolved in the tropics," and I always follow up with "you mean the Inuit are physiologically built to live in the tropics?" Which is never responded to, because Eskimos are not built for the tropics.
Some people are built for the cold, and some are built for the heat. It's is absolutely untrue that we were all "suited for the tropics."
GREAT post! I always laugh when I see someone say that "humans are meant for/evolved in the tropics," and I always follow up with "you mean the Inuit are physiologically built to live in the tropics?" Which is never responded to, because Eskimos are not built for the tropics.
Some people are built for the cold, and some are built for the heat. It's is absolutely untrue that we were all "suited for the tropics."
That's true, not all are built the same and Eskimos are not built for Tropics. But population flourished in the warmer areas hence more people can adapt to warmer climates than colder ones.
I'm not sure what I'm "built for," but I've always preferred hot over cold. A day with a 95 degree high will likely cool down to the mid to low 80s. That's perfect for ice cream or a stroll along the water. A day with a 30 degree high will likely have a 20 degree low (if not lower). You don't see too many restaurants with sidewalk seating that's on and popping on 20 degree nights.
I know that was partially tongue-in-cheek, but FWIW, if the wind isn't blowing I find it pretty easy to be seriously underdressed in even 20-degree weather.
I haven't worn shorts in the winter since high school though. Around the same time period, I used to wear a ski cap until like May.
It wouldn't be so bad if sun dresses came out too. But it's usually men walking around in shorts while all of the women are still bundled up. You still have the girls who wear the short skirts in the dead of winter, but we don't really start seeing shoulders and backs around here until May.
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