Sunday, June 20, 2010

Why is hair under the arm-pit of both human males and females? What is the function of this hair?

The presence of hair is a mammalian character.Homo sapiens has lost most of the body hair.But still why do we have this uncomfortable arm-pit and pubic hair?



Why is hair under the arm-pit of both human males and females? What is the function of this hair?

As always, to understand things that humans have in their anatomies but that



have no apparent use [e.g., arm pit hairs] one needs to think about



evolutionary forebears and look to closely related species for clues. Two



levels to the response: the nature of those particular hairs and how they



serve to help advertize your basic adult [post-pubertal] human condition,



however masked by contemporary perfumes %26amp; deodorants. Hair is akin to fur



but without the insulative properties, and comes in generally coarse %26amp; fine



varieties. The particular coarse hairs which develop in the pubic area and



in the armpits arise at puberty [clue #1]. Hair follicles in these areas



have a type of sweat gland associated with them, called an apocrine gland,



that begins to function at puberty and is widely associated with



scent-communication via chemicals known as pheromones [clue #2]. Apocrine



glands produce an otherwise non-offensive secretion that now appears to be



homologous with animal sex-specific scents. Unfortunately its components are



broken down by bacteria to form odors associated with dirty locker room



smells. The arm pit hairs serve as extended surface from which these



volitile chemicals can be more efficiently broadcast. Scientific data



supporting the presence %26amp; effect of human pheromones have become more



substantial in the last couple of years. Interestingly, perfume companies



have recently begun playing up the nature of human pheromones!



Dr. Dinsmore

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