How did climate change affect cultural growth and human migration patterns throughout human evolution? 

 

The changes in climate brings with it shifting pattern in rainfall, changes in temperature and growing seasons. These factors may led to changes in human beings in order to cope up with their new surrounding. favorable weather conditions may lead to faster maturity in human beings while a hostile weather may lead to stagnation in growth.

Malaria disease developed where climate was warmer like in Africa. This disease was known as tropical disease which spread faster in temperate zones. Those who lived in these areas where exposed to such a disease leading to evolution of human immune system to to acquire new defenses. The resistance to this disease led to some other diseases like sickle cell which is has some beneficial effects. Those with sickle cell disease are resistance to malaria.

Diverse species have also emerged due climate changes leading to human evolution. These climatic changes have similarly led to adaptation in human beings to cope with their new surrounding. New adaptation may include enlargement of brain, ability to make tools, upright posture and new social behaviors. For instance, faster growth in plants due to heavy rainfall made human beings to adopt the bipedal nature in order to elongate themselves to grasp fruits easily.

When a climate became hostile, human beings were force to migrate to some areas which they considered favorable to them. They had to develop new mechanisms to fit their new environment. For instance, if they migrated from drought stricken areas to areas with heavy rainfalls, they had to construct shelters to keep themselves from heavy rainfalls. These changes in the environment as well altered the genetic arrangement in human beings.

Similarly, environmental fluctuation can also led to genetic adaption in human beings. a situation where there are different genes in a population, as condition change, may favors natural selection where one gene adapted to that condition survives. The other species therefore become extinct. This will led to structure or specific behavior among the surviving species of human beings.