Human Variation

1. Cold
Low temperatures are disruptive to human homeostasis since the human body has a relatively high core temperature (97.7 Fahrenheit). Decreases in body temperature leads to impaired bodily functions. Slowed blood flow, lethargic nerve responses, and muscle rigidity are symptoms of the human body succumbing to the forces of cold temperatures. A human being has a low chance of survival of this homeostatic disruption persists since it essentially makes one "clumsy", a "clumsy" person has a lower chance of successful endeavoring for food and shelter.

2.
a) Short Term: Goosebumps are a short-term adaptation to cold temperatures. Goosebumps produce extra heat by the muscle tension created from piloerection. Additionally, raised hair also increases heat insulation. Shivering is another short term adaptation that functions in parallel to goosebumps.

b) Facultative: A major trait of many cold environments is typically the lack of sunlight, thus in areas where temperatures are typically below zero degrees, people tend to have lighter skin. This mostly due to the imperative of vitamin D absorption.

c) Developmental: A great example of developmental adaptability is the Inuit people and their consumption of high caloric fatty foods. This significantly rose their metabolic rates which as a result, their bodies produced more heat. They also have actively lifestyles which supplements their choice of diet and their bodies are stocky and round as a result.

d) Cultural: Igloos are actually incredibly effective insulators of heat since they are essentially traps for small pockets of air. Snow, despite being cold itself is great at insulation since it can be compacted to the point where there is almost nonexistent intrusion of cold air from the outside. Thus, body heat by itself, can be used to bring the internal temperatures of igloos to a comfortable 40 degrees Fahrenheit (much better than the alternative which is below zero). 

3. There are many benefits to studying human variation through this perspective across varying environmental clines. One benefit is primarily medical, hypothermia and hyperthermia are two common medical conditions that can be fatal if not properly cared for. Observation of adaptations by humans living in environmental extremes can aid with the treatment of these ailments.

4. Race is an ineffective use of categorization since it has caused a lot of controversy for the majority of human history. From a genetic viewpoint, human beings aren't that different from one another. Phenotypic differences are a result from the environment in which humans have adapted to. It is a much more effective and efficient way to understand human variation through the perspective of environmental adaptation because it decreases the amount of classification we succumb ourselves to. If people had higher scientific efficacy and understood this about how environment plays a major role in how we look, I personally believe that racism would not be as big of an issue as it is today.

Language

Part 1:

     This was perhaps one of the most hilarious experiences I've had regarding assignments for school. Due to the hectic nature of my schedule I was only able to do these exercises with a classmate from my Communications class. I mainly utilized body language as a means to convey messages to my partner. Needless to say, it started off as five minutes worth of confusion from both ends. We clearly weren't understanding each other initially. I decided to shift my body language into something more discernible. Sports, was the first topic that came to mind and I gestured the act of kicking a ball. Immediately my partner yelled out "SOCCER!" and from there we reached a mutual understanding. He asked what my favorite position to play was and although the truth to this question was "defender" I gestured my arms wide and acted like a goalkeeper, just to keep things simple. This assignment was neither difficult nor easy, it was a challenge, a rather fun one at that. My partner decided to start mimicking my actions in order to empathize with what I was trying to convey, it was like playing a messy game of charades with a better sense of immersion.
     Control of the conversation was constantly shifting, once my partner realized what I was trying to express, he went on to carry the conversation further with more questions. Later on, my partner was the one who changed topics mostly due to the fact that he had more flexibility in conveying ideas since he had the power of verbalization. Initially, I had the power in the conversation but the scales shifted towards my partner's favor as we progressed.
     In terms of communicating complex ideas within a population, I believe that verbal communication has the upper hand. The greatest ideas throughout our history we're formulated through essays and writing, oratory storytelling, plays, and many more. Non-verbal communication might be effective at conveying simplistic ideas and emotions however, verbal communication has unrivaled versatility when it comes to expression. A speaking culture can view a non-verbal culture as alien and mysterious, and its safe to assume that there isn't going to be an abundance of understanding between the two. When I was on vacation in France, I had zero knowledge of the language thus, I could only communicate with people through limited verbal usage and non-verbal communication. I often made a lot of French natives laugh due to my poor attempts at asking for directions to certain landmarks, so it's safe to say that they had absolutely no idea what I was trying to say.

Part 2:

     This part of the assignment was definitely a lot more challenging. I am a very expressive individual, when I tell stories or simply talk to others I use a lot of gestures to supplement my messages. The simple act of restricting all these non-verbal cues was quite difficult for me. My partner had an incredibly hard time trying to prevent his laughter from consuming his composure due to my sad attempt at a poker face throughout the conversation. In terms of understanding what I was trying to say, my partner was responsive and understood most of what I said.
     The eye-opener for me during this activity was the realization of how important "signs" are in our day to day communication. The adage "actions speak louder than words" has an incredible amount of credibility and is the basis of all disciplines regarding behavior. Anxiety can be seen through the mannerisms of an individual, having closed off body language is a sign of discomfort and the want to be left alone, and much more can be conveyed through non-verbals.
     A lot can be read through body language and having competent knowledge on the subject can benefit a person majorly. If a person can read a potential aggressors body language then he can act accordingly (fight or flight). A person being able to read a friendly individual's body language then he can either befriend or trade with the individual. In terms of reproduction, a potential mate will provide "indicators of interest" which will prompt a prospective male to "make a move" and proceed to courtship.
    Yes, there are a great deal of people who are oblivious to non-verbal cues. These are typically the type of people that approach people without proper prompting and can be labeled as "creeps" because they can't read the discomfort that people show through non-verbal gesturing only. A situation where reading a person's body language would be unreliable is if they are master liars, those who have complete mastery over their non-verbals and can feign sincerity through extended eye contact and lack of anxiety gesturing.