Jakarta – A new study from George Washington University provides an overview related to evolution ancient human hair. The researchers specifically assessed the impact of climate, body size, and color on this evolution.
This research was not directly carried out on humans, considering that hair does not become fossilized. Researchers at George Washington University’s Primate Genomics Lab examined the factors driving hair variation in populations of wild lemurs known as Indriidae.
“The evolution of human hair remains a mystery, in large part because hair does not become fossilized,” said Elizabeth Tapanes, lead author of the paper and postdoctoral scholar at the University of San Diego, California. Science DailySaturday (19/3/2022).
Lemur These studied showed an upright posture like humans and lived in various ecosystems like early humans.
Researchers found the Sifaka lemur, which originated in Madagascar, had thicker hair in dry, open environments. They believe that, like early humans, lemurs’ hair helped protect them from the strong sun.
Meanwhile, lemurs in colder areas are more likely to have dark hair. This is the first evidence in mammals for a classical pattern in nature as in Bogert’s Rule, which states that dark colors can aid thermoregulation because they help absorb heat from sunlight.
Other findings suggest that red hair in lemurs is associated with improved color vision. According to the researchers, populations that can see a greater range of colors tend to have patches of red hair.
Brenda Bradley, a professor of anthropology and a co-author on the study, explains that our understanding of hair evolution and diversity in other primates can help us see the journey evolution man.
“Understanding hair patterns in non-human primates, such as these lemurs, can provide a comparative context for understanding how variations arise in human hair,” he said.
In future studies, the researchers suggest focusing on samples across geographic or phylogenetic scales (family and genus levels) and multiplying non-human and human populations.
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