Why is Homo sapiens hairless?

Rohinton Collins (rohinton@collins.prestel.co.uk)
27 Oct 1996 20:42:05 GMT

I have been reading with some interest some of the arguments in this
newsgroup. It seems many of you are happy to describe incredibly elaborate
theories, forgetting about parsimony. One of notice is some argument about
the (relatively) hairless nature of the body of Homo sapiens, linking it to
the Aquatic Ape Theory (am I right?). It seems reasonable to me that the
most parsimonious reason for the naked body of Homo sapiens is because we
wear clothes. At some point in human evolution, hominids took to wearing
clothes (obviously). With clothes taking over (for the most part) the job
of insulation of the body, it became hairless. This was reinforced by the
fact that sweating became far more efficient. So a clothes-wearing hominid
would benefit from nakedness both in the summer and the winter.

Does this make to much sense for some of you?

Any replies welcome.

Regards,

Roh