Plasticity in Humans free essay sample

The aim of this paper is to cover the subject of plasticity in humans. Plasticity refers to the ability of many organisms to change their biology or behavior to respond to changes in the environment, particularly when these are stressful. After reading the article, The Tall and the Short of It by Barry Bogin, I feel that his article has gone into great detail. Bogin included information from numerous studies and research not only his own but also the research and studies of other professionals. I found the information in this article interesting and informative for someone like me who is taking physical anthropology for the first time. Most interestingly is how he believes that diseases such as Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s can possibly be prevented by plasticity. One of the studies that Bogin noted is a study among the Americans and Dutch heights. Back in the 1850’s Americans were considered the tallest people in the world, but now they are the third tallest around the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Plasticity in Humans or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This study revealed that this change is due to the plasticity in people’s childhood and in their mother’s childhood as well. Girls that are undernourished and in poor health causes them to be shorter in height as an adult due to the compromise her body makes while growing up. Her short height can then be passed down to her fetus. The small reproductive system of the mother most likely does not supply an adequate level of nutrients and oxygen to her fetus. Therefore, the child can be born weighing less than normal and will continue the slow growth through out their childhood. Stronger evidence used to support the study among height of group of people is the studies on monozygotic twins. Monozygotic twins are identical genetically, but sometimes can end up being nourished by unequal portions of the placenta. The twin nourished by the smaller fraction of the placenta, are born with lower birth weight than the one in the biggest fraction of the placenta. This difference in growth shows that it can last throughout their lives. The difference seen today between the Americans and Dutch is the response to their changed environments. Both the United States and Netherlands began to provide a healthier environment to their people by purifying water, installing sewer systems, regulating the safety of food, and providing a better health care and diets for children. The only difference is that the Netherlands offered health benefits to all the public including poor and in the US only those that can afford improved health benefited. One additional study to support the plasticity of people was done on groups of Mayan children. One group of children lived in Guatemala and the other part were immigrants living in the United States. Evidently, the children in Guatemala proved to be shorter than the group in the United States due to the environment they lived in. The children and their parents in Guatemala were exposed to contaminated water, lack of food supply and suffer from poor health. On the other hand, not only the children but their parents living in the United States, have access to purified drinking water and a reliable source of food which improved the health and growth. Plasticity demonstrates that such changes are dependent on external conditions and not only genetics. The most amazing researches was that of Ralph Garruto, who investigated the role of the environment and human plasticity in Guam and New Guina on individuals with Parkingson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease. He found that both diseases are linked to the shortage of calcium that resulted in the digestion of too much aluminum present in their diet. However from the group in Guam he found that up to 70 percent had brain damage but only 20 percent had one of these diseases. It seems evident that genes and plasticity are working hand in hand from these low rates of individuals that are affected. Plasticity may be why people’s bodies have gradually developed ways to protect and prevent aluminum from reaching their brain. Humans are, perhaps, the most plastic of all species, and hence the most variable. I believe such discoveries demonstrate the need for future research in human plasticity and variability specially, if diseases can be prevented. Researchers should try to figure out a way to produce the same sort of plastic changes in humans.