2007-12-19 14:53:28 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Having hair is one of the "primitive characteristics" of all mammals - that means it is something we all inherited from our shared ancestor. In fact it's one of the things that define us as mammals, along with warm blood and giving birth to live young.
Different mammals have different amounts of hair - but one interesting thing is that we have about the same amount of body hair as chimpanzees, our closest relative, except that ours is a lot finer, so doesn't show up as much.
The thick hair on our head seems to have evolved along with our upright stance, to help insulate our heads. The specific distribution of hair around our bodies - thick patches under arms and between legs, and on faces for men - show the signs of being caused by what's known as sexual selection, where females started preferring males with more hair in those areas - perhaps as a sign of health and virility.
2007-12-19 22:36:36 · answer #1 · answered by Daniel R 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Human hair is one of the first lines of defence
2007-12-20 08:22:49 · answer #2 · answered by Chief 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
to put it simply, it was originally for warmth, but now that we have developed other ways of keeping ourselves warm, we dont need "fur" any more so the body doesnt produce hair all over only in the essential places such as the head
2007-12-21 09:41:21 · answer #3 · answered by gussy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
humans like all mammals have hair its one of the things that make us mammalian and its for protection against weather and the world around us imagine if you crack your head on a ceiling and your Bald OUCH.
2007-12-20 02:18:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hair comes from evolution
when we evolved from monkeys we also got their hair
it is a line of defense
2007-12-21 07:04:28 · answer #5 · answered by kilodude 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Helps keep us warm
2007-12-19 15:26:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
to keep out the cold and bugs
2007-12-19 16:01:13 · answer #7 · answered by fozz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
protection and so hairdressers can make a living
2007-12-19 15:10:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
So,s we can moan about how it just looks rubbish today
2007-12-19 15:36:29 · answer #9 · answered by answers 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Where else can I put my slides?
2007-12-19 15:17:52 · answer #10 · answered by Jadore 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋