RE: Human evolution and fur
April 9, 2012 at 2:55 pm
(This post was last modified: April 9, 2012 at 2:56 pm by R-e-n-n-a-t.)
I do have to point out that it's a matter of personal preference whether more or less hair is favored. Eighty years ago, it would have been the opposite, making this seem more like a matter of style than genetics. Note that we, as a species, lived in temperate regions in Africa for far longer than we have been removed from it. This means that although we don't need to shed heat so quickly now and live in colder regions, evolution hasn't had close to enough time to catch up, and with technology outpacing natural selection, maybe it never will.
As for your leg hair, if we evolved from a furry species of ape, this means that the amount of fur would decrease gradually. Those of us who live in temperate regions may still be getting less hairy at a snail's pace, assuming that greater access to food and technology doesn't stop or greatly hinder natural selection by ensuring that almost all members of a species in a given area survive and reproduce.
As for your leg hair, if we evolved from a furry species of ape, this means that the amount of fur would decrease gradually. Those of us who live in temperate regions may still be getting less hairy at a snail's pace, assuming that greater access to food and technology doesn't stop or greatly hinder natural selection by ensuring that almost all members of a species in a given area survive and reproduce.
