Human Origins and Prehistory Assignments | Online Homework Help

Race as a Biological Adaptation

Choose one of the following prompts:

A:        Race as a Biological Adaption. Watch the video by Nina Jablonski, Breaking the Illusion of Skin Color (Links to an external site.), and respond to the following:

• Based on the information in the video, explain how skin color is the  result of natural selection and an adaptation to the environment.

• If a person from Malawi, Africa moves to Stockholm, Sweden, what  health concerns might that person face? What might they do to protect  themselves from the adverse effects of too little sun?
• What other human biological trait can be explained by natural selection? How does natural selection explain this trait?

B:         After Homo sapiens had evolved in Africa, our species  spread across the globe, ultimately reaching all continents. For this  discussion, choose the arrival of Homo sapiens on either the American  continent or on the Australian continent, as described in chapter seven  of your textbook. Choose only one continent. Describe the dates and  routes of the first humans arriving, and provide the supporting  archaeological evidence. Lastly, discuss the mode of subsistence and  social organization of the early human settlers of your chosen  continent. As there are several cultures, choose one or two to focus on.