Cause and effect on hunter-gatherer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cause and effect on hunter-gatherer - Essay Example Proto-science can be alternatively called as the pre-science period but it had nonetheless contributed a lot to the development of established scientific methods. Simple observations of the workings of nature ensured survival of primitive peoples. It could include things like when animals will gather, where these animals drink and the various shrubs, berries and fruits of trees that are edible or poisonous (Hassler & Wilcox, 2008, p. 8). It can be described that life back then was very precarious that depended mostly on Nature on how Man manages to adapt himself to Nature. Seasons and weather patterns likewise have to be predicted with a certain degree of accuracy in order for men to prepare themselves. This paper tries to examine how these primitive societies managed to survive from the rigors and challenges of Nature from which we are descended. It is quite interesting to note that due to this preoccupation with adjusting to Nature, men had learned almost by instinct on how to interpret the world to ensure survival. It had become second nature (pardon the pun) in which men at those times behaved resulting into an in-built bias that served as a very survival mechanism by relating the cause to its effect. This is the discussion in this paper. The hunter-gatherer societies existed before man learned to develop agriculture. Due to the very nature of being entirely dependent on the vagaries of Nature, man has no choice but to become nomadic whenever and wherever there is plentiful food supply and where it is relatively safe for him to obtain such food supplies. Because of man’s innate capacity to learn and learn quickly, observation of Nature alone is not sufficient for him to survive. To be able to make sense of the observed patterns in Nature, man has to construct a model. This model is then used to resolve the ambiguities often seen in Nature. As a result of this tendency to avoid ambiguity, our brain’s circuits are predisposed to

Human Skin Pigmentation As Adaptive Evolution Term Paper

Human Skin Pigmentation As Adaptive Evolution - Term Paper Example Skin hairlessness evolved due to the need for body heat loss from the skin surface through thermoregulation, especially under hot conditions or intense UV radiation (Jablionski 2012: 47). Thermoregulation increases skin hairlessness through evolution of epidermal cells, such as keratins and stratum corneum, which reduce the permeability of the skin and enhance resistance to abrasion and microbial attacks (Bruckner-Tuderman and Has 2014). There is high correlation between human skin pigmentation and UV radiation, whereby skin reflectance is more correlative in autumn than summer levels of UV radiation. The ability of the human skin to produce melanin helps in the adaptability to UV radiation, and thermoregulation. The adaptation of hominins, which lived in hot environments and intense radiation, was characterized by skin hair loss on exposed skin due to the necessity of heat loss for effective brain functioning for the primates. Primates had intense metabolism and brain activity, and hence the natural skin evolution and adaptability for effective heat loss (Jablionski 2012). Intense skin hair hinders thermoregulation and functionality of the eccrine sweat glands, and hence there is need for skin pigmentation to help in effective thermoregulation and controlled creation of vitamin D (Aranow 2011). Conclusion Body heat regulation is vital for any human or mammal and is highly influenced by skin pigmentation, skin hair, and environmental factors (Bruckner-Tuderman and Has 2014). The exposure to UV radiation is vital in the increment of vitamin D in the body that is vital for metabolism (Jablionski 2012).