4 ms·

Would people be able to physically adapt to longer periods of higer temperatures? I mean, it is around 40 degrees every day for most of the two months of hot se

Would people be able to physically adapt to longer periods of higer temperatures? I mean, it is around 40 degrees every day for most of the two months of hot season where I live. And a lot of people don't have air conditioning. On the hottest days they sit around in the village in the shade, drinking a lot and not moving much. Lots of complaining but we don't hear much about heat related deaths.

ainiriand 7y ago
Yes of course, if the same would happen here in Dublin half of the population would be in trouble! Just kidding, it is just funny sometimes how they present the weather information, painting/coloring the numbers of the temperature as red when they get over 20C.
roywiggins 7y ago
Adaptation works until the wet bulb temperature is above human body temperature, at which point you'll just slowly broil since you can't lose energy by sweating. Not very likely to get there in Europe, but other (hotter, wetter) countries may.
- skohan 7y ago
  I was in Doah recently, and people live almost their entire lives indoors. We even went to the main street market after dark and it was too hot to stand without sweating. It's hard to imagine what would happen there if the temperature were to increase by even a few degrees.
- tripzilch 7y ago
  I read about this wet bulb temperature thing too, but then I wondered what about saunas? Super humid, can't lose energy by sweating, hotter than human body temperature, yet people stay in them for hours? (Not me personally, I don't like saunas)
thedaemon 7y ago
We have already physically adapted to different environments. People in Africa can stand higher temperatures. People in Scandinavia can withstand lower temperatures. This is what "races" are, humans adapted to their environments.
- boomlinde 7y ago
  Where can I read more on this? I live in Sweden but there are plenty of African immigrants that cope with the cold just fine. I've also not had trouble in much warmer climates, but I haven't been abroad for more than three weeks at a time.
  - Symmetry 7y ago
    Nick Lane's book on mitochondria[1] has a section on adaptations to hot or cold places related to them. The topic is a bit more complicated than you might think and I'm pretty sure that people of any race can adapt to colder climates though the brown fat response[2]. [1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39001.Power_Sex_Suicide?from_search=true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39001.Power_Sex_Suicide?... [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue
- geomark 7y ago
  I was thinking in the short term, not on evolutionay time scales. Personally, when I moved to the tropics I sweat non-stop for about the first two years. But I seem to have adjusted and don't break much of a sweat until the temperature gets to about the mid 30's. On the other hand, I really feel the cold now when it gets below 20.

ainiriand 7y ago

Yes of course, if the same would happen here in Dublin half of the population would be in trouble! Just kidding, it is just funny sometimes how they present the weather information, painting/coloring the numbers of the temperature as red when they get over 20C.

roywiggins 7y ago

Adaptation works until the wet bulb temperature is above human body temperature, at which point you'll just slowly broil since you can't lose energy by sweating. Not very likely to get there in Europe, but other (hotter, wetter) countries may.

skohan 7y ago
I was in Doah recently, and people live almost their entire lives indoors. We even went to the main street market after dark and it was too hot to stand without sweating. It's hard to imagine what would happen there if the temperature were to increase by even a few degrees.
tripzilch 7y ago
I read about this wet bulb temperature thing too, but then I wondered what about saunas? Super humid, can't lose energy by sweating, hotter than human body temperature, yet people stay in them for hours? (Not me personally, I don't like saunas)

thedaemon 7y ago

We have already physically adapted to different environments. People in Africa can stand higher temperatures. People in Scandinavia can withstand lower temperatures. This is what "races" are, humans adapted to their environments.

boomlinde 7y ago
Where can I read more on this? I live in Sweden but there are plenty of African immigrants that cope with the cold just fine. I've also not had trouble in much warmer climates, but I haven't been abroad for more than three weeks at a time.
- Symmetry 7y ago
  Nick Lane's book on mitochondria[1] has a section on adaptations to hot or cold places related to them. The topic is a bit more complicated than you might think and I'm pretty sure that people of any race can adapt to colder climates though the brown fat response[2]. [1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39001.Power_Sex_Suicide?from_search=true https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39001.Power_Sex_Suicide?... [2]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue
geomark 7y ago
I was thinking in the short term, not on evolutionay time scales. Personally, when I moved to the tropics I sweat non-stop for about the first two years. But I seem to have adjusted and don't break much of a sweat until the temperature gets to about the mid 30's. On the other hand, I really feel the cold now when it gets below 20.