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Hairy

When you see cavemen in movies, they've always got quite long hair and beards - but not as long as you'd really expect their hair to be, given that hair will just continue to grow indefinitely unless you cut it. Which makes me think that probably the first tools that human beings invented - even before weapons for hunting - must have been things for cutting hair.

Because if they didn't develop barbershoppery very early on, they'd have been tripping over their hair and beards every time they tried to move, which would have made them very ineffective hunters.

And why does hair grow as long as it does anyway, on humans? Not other animals have to put up with that. And pubic hair seems to know to stop growing once it gets to a certain length, so why doesn't head and chin hair behave the same way?

I wish there was some way to find the answers to these questions. None of this is covered in the Bible, which is the book that's supposed to clear things up for you when you have queries, according to the people who write to me.

posted by Graham at 3:27 pm
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2 comments on "Hairy"

 

Kinga said ... ( 11:01) :
On Monday morning is difficult to come with reasonable explanation. The thing that comes to me are old paintings on which first humans are portraited with hair covering their genitals and woman's breast. But sometimes for this puropse serves a snake ocassionally apple. So it's not unambiguous.
 
metamorphosis said ... ( 03:05) :
Sorry for I'll be a bit geekish on this subject and I'll maybe ruin your joke/post and be "that guy" on parties and social events..but i couldn't find it funny because of the following. Hair doesn't grow indefinitely as you've suggested. But has three growing phases (forgot their names) and it grows in cycles. Each of these phases are controlled by some body chemical (for which i also don't recall the name) that defines the duration of the phase and the intensity of hair growth. These phases & chemicals are also the reason why the hair on your arms/legs/eybrows/private parts don't grow indefinitely. The only difference is that growing phase on scalp last longer then on other parts of your body. And believe me I should know... I used to have long hair (didn't cut it/trim it for 6 years - at that time) and have wondered the same - why the hell my hair doesn't grow as it used to grow in early days of my "woooohoo i discovered heavy metal music"..phase. .