The Biological Adaptation of Man to Hot Deserts

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Abstract
A new method for investigating genetic adaptation in man is suggested. This method consists of (a) developing from experimental evidence the phenotypic "model" or ideal man for tolerance of a particular environmental stress; (b) isolating the genetic component and evaluating the relative importance in the phenotype of the environmental characteristic under study; (c) surveying world populations to determine the degree to which they resemble the model. Utilizing this method, a study of systemic (i.e. thermoregulatory) adaptation in man to hot desert conditions is presented. The formulated model derived from experimental work reported in the literature indicated that men with brunet skin, low subcutaneous fat, linear body builds, and heat acclimatization should be the best adapted to a hot desert. It is pointed out that all of these body characteristics are at least in part genetically controlled. A survey of the available information on the world distribution of these bodily attributes indicated a general agreement between the model and the actual distribution. It is concluded that there has been, in man, some degree of genetic adaptation to a hot desert climate.

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