Collaborative Research: Experimental testing of thermoregulatory principles: Re-evaluating ecogeographic rules in living humans

世界各地的人类形态差异很大，但声称某些身体特征的适应性好处导致了这种变化，这种说法很少得到实验测试。这项研究将评估头部、躯干和肢体解剖的差异如何影响个体在不同环境条件下调节内部体温的能力，从而从实验上检验长期以来关于人体形态模式的假设。研究人员将通过出版物、STEM外展活动、公共演讲和全国公认的播客采访来分享该项目的成果。研究生、本科生和医学生将接受数据收集和分析方面的培训，并将使用项目设备和方法的实地考察演示，让经济困难的德克萨斯州高中学生接触到潜在的科学和医学职业。该项目还将产生高质量的全身CT扫描，其他研究人员将通过在线数据档案随时获得这些扫描。最后，这项研究将阐明对更广泛的科学界和普通公众都很重要的问题，包括人类生物多样性的重要性和全球环境变化的潜在影响。这项研究将通过实验测试人体解剖学中温度调节益处和环境模式变化之间的拟议关系。虽然气候压力被广泛认为是导致人类头部形状、躯干尺寸、肢体比例和整体体型的全球差异的原因，但在不同环境条件下，身体特征和身体功能之间的具体联系尚未通过实验建立。此外，对气候适应的研究历来集中在身体的不同部位(如脑壳、鼻子、躯干、上肢、下肢)，很少关注这些不同的解剖结构如何相互作用以作为一个整体发挥作用。为了纠正这一点，这项研究使用了最先进的技术，包括计算机断层成像和模拟不同气候条件的环境舱，来测量身体上不同的生活参与者的生理反应。确认所提出的特定体型的体温调节益处对于指导未来的适应研究至关重要。此外，通过采用全身方法，本研究将阐明不同解剖区域在整体体温调节功能中的作用。总而言之，这项研究将明确地将硬组织和软组织形态与生理结果联系起来，允许对现代人口和化石记录中的环境适应进行更有信心的评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Human morphology varies widely around the world, but claims that adaptive benefits of certain physical features contribute to this variation have rarely been experimentally tested. This research will evaluate how differences in head, trunk, and limb anatomy influence the ability of individuals to regulate their internal body temperature when exposed to different environmental conditions, thereby, experimentally testing long-held assumptions regarding patterning of human body form. The investigators will share the results of this project through publications, STEM outreach activities, public talks, and interviews on a nationally recognized podcast. Graduate, undergraduate, and medical students will be trained in data collection and analysis, and field trip demonstrations of the project equipment and methods will be used to expose economically disadvantaged Texas high school students to potential careers in science and medicine. This project will also produce high-quality, whole body CT scans which will be made readily available to other researchers through an online data archive. Finally, this research will shed light on issues important to both the broader scientific community and the general public, including the significance of human biological diversity and the potential implications of global environmental change.This research will experimentally test proposed relationships between thermoregulatory benefits and environmentally patterned variation in human anatomy. While climatic pressures are widely cited as contributing to global variation in human head shape, torso dimensions, limb proportions, and overall body size, specific links between physical features and body function in different environmental conditions have not been experimentally established. Furthermore, studies of adaptation to climate have historically focused on separate regions of the body (e.g. braincase, nose, torso, upper limb, lower limb), with minimal attention to how these different anatomical structures interact with one another to function as a whole. To remedy this, the research uses state-of-the-art technologies, including computed tomography imaging and an environmental chamber simulating different climactic conditions, to measure the physiological responses of physically diverse living participants. Validation of proposed thermoregulatory benefits of specific body forms is essential for guiding future research on adaptation. Further, by employing a whole-body approach, this study will clarify the role of different anatomical regions in overall thermoregulatory function. In sum, this study will explicitly link hard and soft tissue morphology to physiological outcomes, permitting more confident assessment of environmental adaptation in both modern populations and the fossil record.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.