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WEATHER AND HUMAN EVOLUTION

Weather has affected how humans have evolved. Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution say that key human adaptations have evolved because of environmental instability. Survival of the fittest includes the survival of those humans and other species who were most adaptable to the changing surroundings. Humans who migrated survived. Species that could not relocate to a more favorable habitat became extinct. Some scientists believe that upright walking or toolmaking might not have occurred if humans had not moved to drier habitats like grasslands. evaporate. The heat, and thus the evaporation, are greatest near the equator, so heat is carried in cloud water vapor and released during large hurricanes and thunderstorms. Therefore, weather also controls how rainwater is distributed across the earth. Some areas of the planet regularly flood, while others have major droughts that affect crops, animals, and humans. Weather has both negative and positive implications, but if we think about weather over many thousands of years, it has played a major role regarding where humans live. Weather has also greatly determined how various cultures have developed, and it has influenced how humans have migrated over the planet we call home. Weather greatly affects the daily lives of people around the world. Weather is a set of conditions on specific days at specific places. It can cause farmers to bring crops in early, or affect a school’s decision to stay open or closed due to icy weather. Weather affects lifestyles and cultures. The weather of a particular

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The New Weather: What is Weather?