Inside hottest place on Earth with temperatures of 57C - and now has a new lake
From scorching desert to frozen tundra, humans can be found living in most of the least hospitable places on the planet.
Our ability to adapt to extreme conditions can be seen in California's Death Valley, one of the hottest places on earth, where 576 people live.
Death Valley National Park, California, holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on July 10, 1913, according to the World Meteorological Organization, at 57C (134F).
Similarly terrifying temperatures are reached each year, especially in August, but people living there, mostly National Park or hotel employees, have to make do. They live across the settlements of Cow Creek, Timbisha Shoshone Village, and Stovepipe Wells.
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The National Park is a popular visitor spot despite the heat (Getty Images)The New York Times reports that 576 people live in the area. Despite the deadly heat, that's not how Death Valley got its ominous name.
The name for the area came amid the California Gold Rush in the mid-1880s when word began to spread that gold had been discovered. Hoards of people then flocked in their wagons to the valley in hopes of finding a better life.
One ill-fated trip of 107 wagons made it to Salt Lake City, which was the final supply stop before venturing through the Nevada deserts and over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But snow had started so the group then decided to take another route along the rarely-used Old Spanish Trail.
The pioneers had to be rescued and after losing a member of the group to dehydration, named the area Death Valley.
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It's visitors who will be wearing shorts and tshirts. Locals cover up (AFP via Getty Images)Trying to describe the heat, Brandi Stewart, a year-round resident at Furnace Creek, told Business Insider: "It's pretty oppressive. You go outside and you just immediately feel it, you feel it on your skin. It's dry; you don't feel yourself sweat because it evaporates so quickly."
It's not shorts and t-shirt weather but instead residents try keep themselves covered up wearing trousers and long-sleeved shirts.
Ms Stewart also takes extra precautions when she goes out. she doesn't drive to the local shops without her boyfriend and a jug of water. She meticulously checks her car to make sure it won't break down and strand her in a desolate corner of the desert. She explained: "The biggest fear I have is getting a flat tire and having my vehicle malfunction." She also warns visitors to take care.
Joshua Trees thrive in the inhospitable landscape (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Patrick Taylor, chief of interpretation and education for Death Valley National Park, took a long time to adjust to the heat. When a body isn't adjusted, it can become overwhelmed quickly, causing excessive sweating and exhaustion before worse possible fatal outcomes. Most people take a few weeks to adapt.
Although most people have two types of AC in their homes, some people opt for none. Mr Taylor said: "Some employees never ever use air conditioning. If it gets to 95 in the house, it gets to 95."
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As global warming continues, life in Death Valley could get all the harder. Taylor said the higher temperatures at night have made it harder to connect with fellow residents. He said: "We used to go out and play at night, and now we can't go out and socialise as much as we used to. Maybe before, we'd have a barbecue; now it's too hot to do that four months out of the year instead of one month."
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