The Middle Pleistocene, 125,000–780,000 years ago, was marked by periodic fluctuations between climates like
Researchers assessed their possible adaptation tocold using a thermoregulation model that simulates human heat loss during sleep. The results of this study show that people had to endure very low temperatures during this period and, surprisingly, not only during glacial phases, but also during milder times, even in places on the Iberian Peninsula such as Ambrona or Atapuerca.
“The fact that people were able to withstand suchharsh conditions are difficult for us to imagine, bearing in mind that evidence of the use of fire in Europe during this period is extremely rare. In fact, many researchers believe that they were not capable of generating or habitually using fire."
Jesús Rodríguez, National Center for Human Research (CENIEH)
To evaluate the effectiveness of other strategiesto combat the cold, the researchers used a mathematical model that simulates heat loss during sleep and applied it to one man and one woman from the Sima de los Huesos settlement in Atapuerca, Burgos. This allowed them to evaluate the insulating effects of fur, thick subcutaneous fat, and internal heat production from metabolism, and to account for heat loss due to wind exposure.
Exposure to cold, especially at night,is a serious problem for thermoregulation. There is a limit to the metabolic response caused by cold temperatures at night, but where physiological mechanisms are not met, human behavior can fill the gap. People could come to terms with very low night temperatures if they slept in furs, especially if they did it in a group out of the wind.
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