Hmm, I’d say mine is pretty short, but thick.
Sometimes textured...
Talkin about the HAIR, people.
Hey there, hairy humans, Trace here for DNews.
There are so many different types of hair – wavy, straight, fine, thin, thick, curly,
bushy, wiry…
Some people’s hair is easy to comb, while others are constantly battling a tangled mess.
But is there really an advantage to having a certain type of hair?
We’ve talked a bit about why we have hair at all in another DNews video, but needless
to say.
We have it.
Fur and hair is the same thing.
All mammals have hair, including us.
Hair is composed of keratin, a fibrous, resilient protein that gives hair its strength.
The keratin protein is made up of long chains of amino acids bonded together, the most abundant
of which is “cysteine,” which is able to form strong bonds with itself, called disulfide
bonds.
That’s important because where these bonds accumulate on the hair shaft influences the
shape of the hair!
For example, in curly hair, the protein builds up more on one side of the hair, causing it
to curve, whereas in straight hair, it’s distributed more evenly throughout.
There’s even a condition called “uncombable hair syndrome” involving a gene mutation
that doesn’t allow keratin to bond to the hair shaft correctly causing extremely dry,
frizzy hair and endless tangles.
But, keratin isn’t the only thing that changes hair type, the shape of the hair follicles
--- the structures in your skin that grow your hair -- influence its shape and thickness.
Larger follicles produce thicker strands of hair, smaller follicles thinner strands…
makes sense.
But, if the follicles are say, oval-shaped, or asymmetrical, then the hair that comes
out of them won’t be perfectly round; instead it bends to one side, producing curls.
Think about it like gift-wrapping ribbon---when you run scissors along one side, it’ll curl.
It’s a similar principle with an asymmetrical follicle – one side is flat, the other curved,
resulting in ringlets.
Frizz and texture are often associated with curly hair because natural oils secreted by
your scalp can’t move down the hair as easily.
Those oils trap moisture in the hair -- which is why humidity makes curly hair even more
frizzy!
But there’s definitely one advantage of having curly hair – and it’s not what
you think.
Curly hair actually tangles LESS than straight hair.
Yep!
A study published in the American Journal of Physics found that the angle at which straight
hairs bump into each other is most likely to cause tangling.
See, the outside of your hair -- called the cuticle -- consists of a series of overlapping
keratin cells, like shingles on a roof.
If the hairs meet at a sharp angle, the cuticles hook onto each other.
Although straight hairs meet less often than curly hairs overall, when they do, they tend
to meet at steeper angles and thus are more likely to hook and tangle than curly hairs.
We all have different hair, but there’s not a hard evolutionary reason why.
Though there are a bunch of hypotheses as to how we got it.
Like one 2013 study in the journal Cell which found a specific gene mutation that causes
thicker hair.
It emerged 30,000 years ago in central China, later spreading to Africa and Europe.
That same gene mutation also had other effects, such as increasing the density of sweat glands.
The researchers believe that high humidity in East Asia at the time may have given people
with the mutation an advantage because they could sweat more efficiently, and perhaps
thicker hair simply propagated as a side effect of the gene.
Another study in the American Journal of Human Genetics identified two genes which cause
curly hair in European descendents, but even they say the exact point when curly hair evolved
is unknown.
More research is needed to see what other factors could have been involved.
But whether you’ve got stick straight strands or corkscrew curls, hair is completely individual
– so embrace what nature gave you!
And remember: it’s the size… (of the follicle) that matters…
I hated my hair for a long time until I figured out how to take care of it.
It was a process, but now, I love it!
Or, what’s left of it…
Want to know more about hair?
Here are five weird uses for it...besides just keeping your head warm.
Also, check out this video from our friends at Seeker Stories about how professional actors
are teaching medical students how to interact with patients.
Got any hair tips?
Tell us in the comments, please subscribe for more DNews and thanks for watching.