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thistlechaserFirst off, yay Google! As if we needed more proof that they rock: Google Gives All SF Homeless Free Voicemail. Free voicemail for life! Think how helpful that'll be to get people up onto their feet again.
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Earlier this week I was sitting in yet another boring company meeting. As usual, my attention wandered. I noted that there was only one other blond person there (two blonds, one red head, one silver/grey, and a hundred or so black haired folks). It's not the first time I observed that, but this time I noticed I was one of the very few long haired people (three of us!). That got me thinking, where in the world did humans get long hair from? Why'd it evolve? Animals generally have uniform length fur, but a our head hair could grow forever. It doesn't seem like that's a good thing -- think how it'd get caught on bushes and get into the eyes of early hunters and such.
My first thought was that perhaps it was appearance. Maybe cave men (or whatever proto-human species first evolved long hair) liked the way long hair looked. I mostly dismissed that thought though, as I was projecting modern day values onto long-dead people.
With no Google at hand, I had to make more guesses on my own. In winter, I appreciate my long hair (it's surprisingly helpful in keeping me warm). Summertime is just the opposite, but there were periods of time where species of early man lived in all cool/cold areas...
Finally I had time to check online, and the 'keep warm' idea seems to be the most popular one. We lose a lot of heat out of our heads, so it'd make sense to have the most extra protection there.
Interesting stuff, I love evolution. :)
Edit: I'm so behind the times, wiki is never my first stop for these things. It makes interesting arguments for long hair being evolved for appearance (sexual attraction) or a sign of good health.
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Earlier this week I was sitting in yet another boring company meeting. As usual, my attention wandered. I noted that there was only one other blond person there (two blonds, one red head, one silver/grey, and a hundred or so black haired folks). It's not the first time I observed that, but this time I noticed I was one of the very few long haired people (three of us!). That got me thinking, where in the world did humans get long hair from? Why'd it evolve? Animals generally have uniform length fur, but a our head hair could grow forever. It doesn't seem like that's a good thing -- think how it'd get caught on bushes and get into the eyes of early hunters and such.
My first thought was that perhaps it was appearance. Maybe cave men (or whatever proto-human species first evolved long hair) liked the way long hair looked. I mostly dismissed that thought though, as I was projecting modern day values onto long-dead people.
With no Google at hand, I had to make more guesses on my own. In winter, I appreciate my long hair (it's surprisingly helpful in keeping me warm). Summertime is just the opposite, but there were periods of time where species of early man lived in all cool/cold areas...
Finally I had time to check online, and the 'keep warm' idea seems to be the most popular one. We lose a lot of heat out of our heads, so it'd make sense to have the most extra protection there.
Interesting stuff, I love evolution. :)
Edit: I'm so behind the times, wiki is never my first stop for these things. It makes interesting arguments for long hair being evolved for appearance (sexual attraction) or a sign of good health.
