This riddle was trying to solve even Charles Darwin. Now an interesting explanation of male body hair growth of the person proposed by the biologists from the University of Utah.
As for biology, the answer to the question of why men have a beard, known to us long ago. The reason is the hormone testosterone. Men have it a lot, and very few women.
But why is evolution, that is, mother nature, wanted to make sure the men grew beards and not women?
To say that the beard of great benefit, it is difficult. She’s a magnet for parasites, it stuck pieces of food, and in the summer with it hot. And if you want to beard look respectable, it requires more time than daily for two to three minutes for a smooth shave.
The author of the evolutionary theory of Charles Darwin was thinking about the beard and leaning towards the idea that it serves for decoration. Its purpose is to charm or excite the opposite sex.
However, this explanation sounds unconvincing. Surveys among women show that loves beards only half of the women interviewed.
Women and girls prefer bearded or clean-shaven men rather focusing on fashion trends. It is fashionable to grow a beard, to create the image of a daring lumberjack and be lumbarsacral.
Natural protection
This difference in preferences has led scientists from the University of Utah, in salt lake city to look for other reasons that nature has endowed men with beard. After several months of research explanation was found, and scientists have presented an interesting theory confirmed by the equally remarkable experiment.
Ethan Beseres and David Caryer looked at the problem from a mechanical point of view and came to the hypothesis that the beard needed to ensure its owner, that is the hunter and warrior, protection from shock and injuries. And their men, of course, happens more than in women.
“The beard can work as well as the great mane of the lion, and serve to protect the vital areas: the neck and jaws — from mortal blows,” the scientists write in the introduction to the study, which was published by journal of Integrative Organismal Biology.
Biologists decided to find out whether the beard to protect the face from blows. They turned to engineer Stephen Neiley that he designed for them a device by which they could measure the amount of energy absorbed by the bearded and clean-shaven face.
Nalwa created for them a mechanism resembling a hammer, with which biologists have begun to study.
Of course, in an academic environment, scientists have not found a volunteer who, even in the name of science and knowledge, would allow themselves to peel. So unshaven face imitated a thin lamb chop, covered with the skin and covered with hair. Shaven face imitated chops with bobbed hair.
Bearded tougher
As a result of experiments, the scientists found that covered person may consume up to 37% of impact energy. This discovery they found the reason is that men are by nature bearded face.
Of course, someone experiment the hypothesis itself may seem to someone, figuratively speaking, a few wild. Same as wild fun at the fairs, where at one time anyone could take it out on the dummy bag.
But as classic said, we can argue about this, unable to disagree, but that’s all we can do.
Whoever was right: Darwin, who believed that the beard serves for decoration men, or Beseres and Career, who see the beard protection, to explain the evolutionary mystery can be complex. The beard is to men what the mane for the lion. Is a decoration, and biological protection.
