Human Body Hair as Evidence of Evolution

This paper will be discussing the subject of body hair as a vestigial structure in humans,
as well as how and why it is considered as evidence in support of the theory of evolution.
Vestigiality describes the characteristics of traits in organisms that, in spite of having lost their
original functions, have been retained throughout evolution (Christensen & Meganck 2009).
These traits, encompassing anatomical structures and behavior alike, have been suggested to be
“evidence of the mistakes, the misstarts, and, especially, the leftover traces of evolutionary
history” (Shermer 2006: 22).

Humans appear to be hairless when compared to other primates, but humans actually
have hair everywhere on their skin, with the few exceptions being a lack of hair growth on their
palms, soles, and lips (Randall 1994). Humans have fine, unpigmented vellus hairs before
puberty and much of this hair is replaced by thicker, pigmented terminal hair after as a result of
the increased production of androgen during puberty (Randall 1994). The early ancestors of
humans are believed to have much thicker hair like fellow primates because of comparisons
made to humans’ closest known living relatives: the common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and
the bonobo (Pan paniscus) (Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium [CSAC], 2005).

A classic theory by Wheeler (1984) proposed that body hair had been replaced by less
dense hair in order to better regulate body temperature, paving way for sweating as a more
effective means to dissipate heat, as the lifestyle shift that came from quadrupedalism to
bipedalism caused greater elevations in internal body heat. Another given possibility that could
account for the ‘loss’ of body hair was that it eliminated the threat that was posed by lethal
disease-carrying ectoparasites. The ‘hairless’ ancestors of humans were less prone to the
transmission of these diseases, thus being able to survive and continue on to reproduce, and those
with this trait continued to thrive (Bodmer & Pagel 2003). Although the theories as to why
humans eventually evolved to have much finer hair are still contested, the condition of body hair
in modern humans provides an intriguing and concrete link to the evolution of humans and their
cousins.
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Fabregas, Jacqueline Louise C.

February 26, 2019