Final answer:
Earth's temperature and atmosphere create a habitable range for human survival, but temperatures significantly outside the range of roughly -10°C to 40°C are inhospitable for long-term human life. While organisms like the Pompeii worm may thrive at high temperatures, humans are much more fragile, and significant deviations, such as those prompted by climate change, can be dangerous.
Step-by-step explanation:
Humans have acclimated to the range of conditions Earth offers for thousands of years. Earth's temperature, along with its atmosphere, provides us with essential requirements for survival such as air, water, and food. Our human ancestors may have been more resilient to environmental stresses, but in modern times, humans have become accustomed to living within a narrow range of temperatures to be comfortable.
The temperature range for human survivability generally falls well below 175°F. For instance, although the Pompeii worm can survive temperatures over 175°F, humans cannot due to our physiological requirements. The planet Earth currently has surface temperatures that lie between the freezing and boiling points of water, which is ideal for sustaining human life. It's also of note that even a small shift in global temperatures, as seen with climate change, can have significant impacts on our ability to survive.
Lastly, aside from Earth's temperature, there are other factors such as atmospheric pressure, availability of oxygen, and presence of water, without which human survival would be compromised. The human body has specific ways to adapt to high and low temperatures, like sweating or shivering, but there's a limit to how much it can handle before it becomes life-threatening.