cyberscot (the skirt wearing weegie) sent this to me:
london, england — a pair of uk scientists have come up with a new theory as to why humans are not as hairy as our ancestors, the ape.
humans — one of the only mammals without a lot of hair — began showing more skin to ward off parasites and biting flies that live in fur, which had the added benefit of enhancing sexual attractiveness, according to the scientists.
the scientists claim that because humans can respond effectively to their environment — by producing fire, shelter and clothing — hairlessness was possible and desirable, given that clothes and shelter could be changed or cleaned to get rid of parasites.
the theory also attempts to explain the difference in body hair between sexes.
“”hairlessness would have allowed humans to convincingly ‘advertise’ their reduced susceptibility to parasitic infection and this trait therefore became desirable in a mate “”
-moby