Is body hair a functionless vestige?

YOu probably should research your assertions a little before presenting them.

In fact i would say its logical that women have greater hair on the head relative to their body size because they need to keep the head dryer because of lesser body heat. Wet hair threatens them more then big guys. Now perhaps again its useless but it might be usefull.

Any evidence women have more hair? How does more wet hait hair keep a body warmer?

OH and maybe you should learn how to search on google.
Scientists debunk the myth that you lose most heat through your head

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Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts

Robert, a bit of speculation is fine but I'm not impressed so far. If patterns of hair growth respond to wetness of climates we'd see such patterns in geographic distributions. We don't. That hair has some capability to wick water away from the skin has some basis but an innate ability for hair patterns to 'respond' hasn't been shown; I believe that our characteristics evolved but the specifics of how we came to have the hair functions and patterns we do has not been (may never be) clearly explained. To what extent it's chance and how much it's adaptation interests me - I happen to think our body hair function very well as part of our tactile sensory system and extreme sensitivity of fine hairs around eyes and ears suggest some degree of adaptation. I don't mind indulging in a bit of speculation about it, but I don't think this response to wetness idea, as presented, is anything that throws any light on it.

Whales hair would simply be a remnant from a earlier land life.
Its logical from my stance to see the smaller sex, so less heat producing, as needing more protection from getting wet on the head. A major area of heat loss potential.
Men likewise would have more hair on the face as we were always out more in the land and the climate. So it follows our face hair follows our lifestyle.
It all works fine with the simple conclusion that hair is for dryness and not warmth at least in the first stages.
Underarm hair is just a reflection of the body noticing the wteness from the sweat. Again useless but over sensivitive.

Theodoric writes: YOu probably should research your assertions a little before presenting them. In fact i would say its logical that women have greater hair on the head relative to their body size because they need to keep the head dryer because of lesser body heat. Wet hair threatens them more then big guys. Now perhaps again its useless but it might be usefull. Any evidence women have more hair? How does more wet hait hair keep a body warmer? OH and maybe you should learn how to search on google. Scientists debunk the myth that you lose most heat through your head

Debunk all they want its very true heat loss from the head is important. Thus warm hats are important. anyways its still a sensitivity to it.

Women do have more hair and more powerful hair then men. Especially relative to the smaller size of their head.
The hair is to keep the head from the impact of the wetness which is a major problem for warmth in nature.
Wet hair is a temporary matter. its just the body reacting to the threat of cold water. Not reacting to wet hair which it doesn't notice.

Ken Fabos writes: Robert, a bit of speculation is fine but I'm not impressed so far. If patterns of hair growth respond to wetness of climates we'd see such patterns in geographic distributions. We don't. That hair has some capability to wick water away from the skin has some basis but an innate ability for hair patterns to 'respond' hasn't been shown; I believe that our characteristics evolved but the specifics of how we came to have the hair functions and patterns we do has not been (may never be) clearly explained. To what extent it's chance and how much it's adaptation interests me - I happen to think our body hair function very well as part of our tactile sensory system and extreme sensitivity of fine hairs around eyes and ears suggest some degree of adaptation. I don't mind indulging in a bit of speculation about it, but I don't think this response to wetness idea, as presented, is anything that throws any light on it.

i don't agree with sensory matters as the reason for hair.
The first conclusion in investigation should be What is the hair doing!
hair certainly keeps creatures warm. Body tempature is very important in nature.
If temp matters then observation shows that getting wet is a major threat.
In fact getting wet in a warm climate is a threat. so its reasonable to conclude that hair at least is also just for to keep one dry. nOt warm but dry.
therefore this would explain the unneeded areas of hair on our bodies. tHe hair is always in areas of sweat or episodic sweat.
This would include ears, eyes, etc. Any opening is a threat to a cooler temp and so a threat that if it gets wet it will all the more make it too cool.
Again its probably a unneeded over sensitivity of the body. Its useless.
Yet it follows a creationist theme of the body being made to adapt to needs including a innate failure to do it right. The bodies are made from a great design and not the result of happanchance or evolutionary speculation.
Simple answers can explain much in nature.

Whales hair would simply be a remnant from a earlier land life.

Interesting. Apparently, you do believe in evolution of a sort.

Byers writes: Its logical from my stance to see the smaller sex, so less heat producing, as needing more protection from getting wet on the head.

You have not even established that women have more hair on their heads than men.

hair certainly keeps creatures warm. Body tempature is very important in nature.

You should take a trip to Africa sometime. You will find that keeping the body cool is much more important, especially to hunters. Humans evolved a very interesting way of hunting. We chase animals during the heat of the day until they collapse from heat exhaustion. We don't collapse because we sweat profusely. Cooling the body is a much more important adapation for humans than what little warmth our hair provides.

Debunk all they want its very true heat loss from the head is important. Thus warm hats are important. anyways its still a sensitivity to it. Women do have more hair and more powerful hair then men. Especially relative to the smaller size of their head. The hair is to keep the head from the impact of the wetness which is a major problem for warmth in nature. Wet hair is a temporary matter. its just the body reacting to the threat of cold water. Not reacting to wet hair which it doesn't notice.

DO you ahve any idea what evidence is? Why do you think we should blindly accept your assertions.

Is your motto this phrase?

Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up

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Facts don't lie or have an agenda. Facts are just facts

i don't agree with sensory matters as the reason for hair. The first conclusion in investigation should be What is the hair doing!

What the hair is doing is moving in response to stimuli transferring hair movement and vibration via the shaft to sensory nerves within the skin.

Things called follicular nerves at the shaft base are super sensitive to vibrations of the shaft. These are the facts derived by real investigation.

"...What is the hair doing!"
It demonstrably does have a sensory function. It does other things too, including (in places) wick moisture away from the skin, protect from UV exposure and provide insulation but it definitely does tactile sensitivity as well and it does it extremely well. All hairs have this capability but around eyes and ears the sensitivity is notable (leaving aside eyelashes which I'd say are clearly an extreme adaptation for tactile sensitivity) - the nearly invisibly fine vellus hairs on skin around these vital organs alert us to the presence of very small insects by their sensitivity - my own experience is the resulting sensations are so strong it takes a conscious effort not to rub or scratch. I'd say that this is a useful function and, around eyes and ears, a far more useful function than the ability to wick away water.

NoNukes writes: Whales hair would simply be a remnant from a earlier land life. Interesting. Apparently, you do believe in evolution of a sort. Byers writes: Its logical from my stance to see the smaller sex, so less heat producing, as needing more protection from getting wet on the head. You have not even established that women have more hair on their heads than men.

I've always understood they have more hair or hair holes relative to the size of their heads compared to men. Then also a stronger quality.

Yes i insist marine mammals were just post flood creatures that took to the water. nOt by evolution by mutation/selection but innate triggers to quickly adapt .

Taq writes: hair certainly keeps creatures warm. Body tempature is very important in nature. You should take a trip to Africa sometime. You will find that keeping the body cool is much more important, especially to hunters. Humans evolved a very interesting way of hunting. We chase animals during the heat of the day until they collapse from heat exhaustion. We don't collapse because we sweat profusely. Cooling the body is a much more important adapation for humans than what little warmth our hair provides.

I agree our hair gives no warmth. however it does attempt to keep us dry. I see it as a quick reaction in a post flood world. I don't see hair as doing much unless for women it more keeps them from being too cooled in the climate.

Ken Fabos writes: "...What is the hair doing!" It demonstrably does have a sensory function. It does other things too, including (in places) wick moisture away from the skin, protect from UV exposure and provide insulation but it definitely does tactile sensitivity as well and it does it extremely well. All hairs have this capability but around eyes and ears the sensitivity is notable (leaving aside eyelashes which I'd say are clearly an extreme adaptation for tactile sensitivity) - the nearly invisibly fine vellus hairs on skin around these vital organs alert us to the presence of very small insects by their sensitivity - my own experience is the resulting sensations are so strong it takes a conscious effort not to rub or scratch. I'd say that this is a useful function and, around eyes and ears, a far more useful function than the ability to wick away water.

Its not impossible that hair helps to keep away bugs but hair in creatures is very clearly about body tempature.
First things first.
As you said hair is involved in dealing with moisture on the skin.
Yes. its trying to dry it away.
i see our hair as just a sensitive reaction but it does no good. so it better explains hair that hits areas, after puberty, where episodic sweating is a issue.

Its fine to see openings like eyes and ears needing to protect against bugs but these openings also are threatened by moisture which threatens cooling issues.
I never thought before it was to deal with biological intrusion. Maybe but i still think its the easier answer to see hair as a overly senstive reaction to a trigger for drying the area.

however it does attempt to keep us dry.

So far you haven't offered a shred of evidence that this is somehow the 'purpose' behind body hair. I noticed you said this:

quote:

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Robert Byers in Message 80:

Again its worthless but indicates hair is just a reaction to keep one dry.

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Is your only evidence that body hair has a purpose the 'fact' that it's worthless? That's really not the kind of 'rock solid analysis' you claim it to be.

I see it as a quick reaction in a post flood world.

Sorry, but there never was a Biblical Flood.

Jon

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Love your enemies!

Its logical from my stance to see the smaller sex, so less heat producing, as needing more protection from getting wet on the head. A major area of heat loss potential.

What is logical from your stance is complete nonsense from the stance of everyone else. It might help if you'd bother investigating the claims you attempt to rest your pseudo-theories on; if you did, you'd find that smaller people actually retain body heat better than bigger people. You also might find that outside of Whitey-ville, Canada, not all women have long hair and there are plenty of men who do.

Men likewise would have more hair on the face as we were always out more in the land and the climate. So it follows our face hair follows our lifestyle.

Again, more research would help prevent a lot of simple mistakes: men do not grow facial hair in all varieties of humans.

Jon

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Love your enemies!