When studying physical adaptations of humans, we are taught that people living in high altitudes have an uncanny ability to carry more oxygen in their blood. They also have interesting placental adaptations that allow their growing young to develop in these oxygen deprived environments. We also know that skin color is an adaptation to high or low levels of solar radiation. Nasal passages can even be an adaptation. If you live closer to the equator, your nose can be broad and short but the further you live from the balmy climes, the longer and narrower your nose must be to warm and humidify the air you take in. Obviously these adaptations take many generations to manifest a change in a population (so when I move to southern Spain, you can say "I told you so!").
Moving on, perhaps the most recurring theme in any discussion of human adaptation in a physical anthropology classroom is that of Bergmann's and Allen's rules. Bergmann said that members of warm blooded species with wide geographic ranges would be bigger in colder climates than their bretheren in tropical paradises. So for Bergmann, cold = big guys. He also recognized that the warm weather folks had a more linear body plan. Think of those long, svelte Kenyan runners. Allen observed that in cold climates, warm blooded individuals had shorter limbs. This makes sense to me as the first thing that freezes in these chilly mid-western winters are my fingers and toes.
Very interesting, and even inspiring I say! So, I decided to honor these geniuses of the ways and hows of human adaptation with christmas cookies. Ladies and gentleman, meet Bergmann and Allen:
Just for modesty's sake, I'll give you one with their clothes on too. That's Orlando on the right in his green, white and red. They seem to get along well, don't you think? I really do not know what to say about the creepy two-sprinkle mouths other than I'll try harder next time. I promise.
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This is too funny, because I had a similar cookie baking experience this year making my skeleton cookies. As the even progressed and the chilled batter got softer and softer the cookies became much more linear in shape. The batter stuck to the cookie cutters and the resulting change in shape made them longer and skinnier. I remember thinking exactly the same thing - Bergmann's and Allen's Rules!
ReplyDeleteI would love for you to do a guest post with your skeletons... that recipe is one of my favorites!
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