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(Salon)   Evolutionary biologists make startling new discovery regarding human development: Without pubic hair there would be no '70s porn   (salon.com) divider line
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1812 clicks; posted to STEM » on 29 Jan 2023 at 1:38 PM (8 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



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unpainted huffhines [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 1:59:23 PM  
I read tfa in Stephen Jay Gould's voice.

"Male nipples and clitoral ripples" was a favorite, aka "tits 'n' clits". Look it up, kids.
 
MurphyMurphy
2023-01-29 2:03:28 PM  
i'm gonna go with cave ppl liked the stinky smell
 
E_Henry_Thripshaws_Disease
2023-01-29 2:13:14 PM  
Fark user imageView Full Size
nice beaver, Priscilla
 
austerity101
2023-01-29 2:16:34 PM  
Oh, is this the thread where someone is going to try to tell me shaving your pubes reduces risk of STIs again? Because that was fun/stupid.
 
scanman61
2023-01-29 2:20:54 PM  
Not all humans have pubic hair.

I had a post divorce girlfriend who's father was a Cherokee serving in the Air Force in Iceland and mother was a local girl.  Naturally smooth.
 
bearded clamorer [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 2:38:53 PM  
They'd have to come up with something else to call a mishandled punt, no one would remember Demi Moore for any magazine shoots she did, and I'd have a different username.
 
Somaticasual [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 2:51:06 PM  
Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.
 
leeksfromchichis [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 2:57:07 PM  
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.comView Full Size
 
Nimbull
2023-01-29 3:05:27 PM  
I always thought of public hair for friction reduction like pit hairs. Chaffing sucks. Also since that area tends to be temp sensitive it adds extra insulation for keeping things warm where they need to be.
 
common sense is an oxymoron [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 3:14:10 PM  

Somaticasual: Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.


B, and taint funny losing that barrier.
 
LewDux [OhFark]
2023-01-29 3:14:34 PM  
Should be same reason why humans are not bald, no?
 
emtwo
2023-01-29 3:34:05 PM  

scanman61: Not all humans have pubic hair.

I had a post divorce girlfriend who's father was a Cherokee serving in the Air Force in Iceland and mother was a local girl.  Naturally smooth.


Did you know that the word "gullible" isn't actually in the dictionary?
 
HempHead
2023-01-29 3:36:05 PM  

austerity101: Oh, is this the thread where someone is going to try to tell me shaving your pubes reduces risk of STIs again? Because that was fun/stupid.


Reduces the chances of getting crabs.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
anuran
2023-01-29 3:49:16 PM  

unpainted huffhines: I read tfa in Stephen Jay Gould's voice.

"Male nipples and clitoral ripples" was a favorite, aka "tits 'n' clits". Look it up, kids.


Gods, I miss Stephen J Gould
 
anuran
2023-01-29 3:51:13 PM  

Somaticasual: Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.


"What for?" is a wrong question.
"How did it happen?" is a right question
 
hegelsghost
2023-01-29 3:54:12 PM  
Next article: Armpit hair..what is the point?
 
Fart And Smunny
2023-01-29 3:55:54 PM  
Subby, Subby, Subby,

Porn finds a way.
 
hegelsghost
2023-01-29 3:56:31 PM  
Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.
 
Muso
2023-01-29 4:03:15 PM  

austerity101: Oh, is this the thread where someone is going to try to tell me shaving your pubes reduces risk of STIs again? Because that was fun/stupid.


Fark user imageView Full Size


Fark user image
 
Somaticasual [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 4:10:35 PM  

anuran: Somaticasual: Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.

"What for?" is a wrong question.
"How did it happen?" is a right question


Good point. Another good one might be : "Why did this stay during the course of evolution?"

Of course, I can't answer that last question while looking in a mirror, so... <chuckle>
 
Fissile
2023-01-29 4:13:29 PM  

hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.


Can't we all just have fun with pubic hair?
 
assjuice
2023-01-29 4:21:51 PM  

scanman61: Not all humans have pubic hair.

I had a post divorce girlfriend who's father was a Cherokee serving in the Air Force in Iceland and mother was a local girl.  Naturally smooth.


You had a girlfriend who is a father? Crazy.
 
aarond12
2023-01-29 4:39:56 PM  
Did anyone ask ChatGPT?
 
MikeyFuccon
2023-01-29 5:33:23 PM  

aarond12: Did anyone ask ChatGPT?

Humans have pubic hair for a variety of reasons. One theory is that it serves as a visual cue for sexual maturity and fertility. It may also have a role in pheromone production and sexual attraction. Additionally, pubic hair may provide a barrier to friction and irritation during sexual activity. Overall, the purpose of pubic hair is not fully understood and may have multiple functions.


You're welcome.
 
mjbok
2023-01-29 5:45:16 PM  

scanman61: Not all humans have pubic hair.

I had a post divorce girlfriend who's father was a Cherokee serving in the Air Force in Iceland and mother was a local girl.  Naturally smooth.


Not all humans don't have a tail.  The percentage of your item is way, way smaller than the example I gave.
 
Diagonal [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 6:08:30 PM  

Somaticasual: Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.



Pfffffwgeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Violation of the "A 2 d" rule!

encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.comView Full Size
 
scanman61
2023-01-29 6:12:30 PM  

Somaticasual: anuran: Somaticasual: Seems like:
a) pubic hair would be in place to prevent insect issues when not wearing clothes
b) pubic hair serves as a barrier to contact/friction irritation with sensitive tissue
c) it may just be the last vestiges of our thicker primal coat.

"What for?" is a wrong question.
"How did it happen?" is a right question

Good point. Another good one might be : "Why did this stay during the course of evolution?"

Of course, I can't answer that last question while looking in a mirror, so... <chuckle>


...looks at appendectomy scars...

Yes, why?
 
anuran
2023-01-29 6:13:14 PM  

hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.


No. Some of the common misconceptions about it are. The one you are mistaking for something a well informed biologist would say is the idea that traits are inherently "for" something and that organisms are "optimal". It's the Argument From Design with extra steps.

The more correct approach is to look at the record, similar structures in other organisms, and the history of related ones and see HOW things developed along with hints as to why they have been conserved. The plausible Just So Story is one of the worst traps. Evopsych is particularly prone to this mistake and must be viewed as pseudoscience
 
qorkfiend
2023-01-29 6:33:48 PM  

hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.


Nature doesn't select for perfect, it selects for "good enough", so unless something is actively detrimental to the survival of the species there's no evolutionary pressure to get rid of it. That those apparently nonsensical traits remain is proof of natural selection.
 
BarryJV [BareFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 6:52:24 PM  

qorkfiend: hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.

Nature doesn't select for perfect, it selects for "good enough", so unless something is actively detrimental to the survival of the species there's no evolutionary pressure to get rid of it. That those apparently nonsensical traits remain is proof of natural selection.


Our apparent hairlessness is a result of sexual selection, people preferred to mate with people who were less hairy.

Once we had clothing the pubic region would be covered. Either people didn't know (because it was covered) or didn't care about hair in that area.
 
aerojockey
2023-01-29 7:02:22 PM  

qorkfiend: hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.

Nature doesn't select for perfect, it selects for "good enough", so unless something is actively detrimental to the survival of the species there's no evolutionary pressure to get rid of it. That those apparently nonsensical traits remain is proof of natural selection.


I think if we're being technical, this stuff does not actually prove natural selection, since by definition things those things aren't selected for.  Or (possibly in the case of pubes, definitely in the case of peacock feathers) are traits that are chosen by sexual selection, which does not fall under natural selection (I don't think).

But if we're being both technical and pedantic, natural selection isn't something you prove, it's not really a theory.  It's just kind of a fact of life, stronger, smarter, etc. survive more.  Even the hard-coreiest evolution deniers admin that.  The theory, Darwin's theory, the theory of evolution, is that natural selection is sufficient to explain speciation.

Rounding back to your point, nothing in the theory of evolution requires every trait to be chosen by natural selection; if your species survives, nature will have chosen enough traits to give it a survival advantage, but nothing requires that to be true of all traits.
 
recondite cetacean
2023-01-29 8:31:45 PM  
If only someone were trying to figure this out. That might help us have an informed conversation.
 
Thoreny
2023-01-29 8:48:59 PM  
It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.
 
Thoreny
2023-01-29 8:50:16 PM  

Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.


That came out wrong. I mean that it's there because females and males are both humans, and since it's useful for males, females are going to have it as it's in our DNA.
 
Thoreny
2023-01-29 8:51:52 PM  

Thoreny: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

That came out wrong. I mean that it's there because females and males are both humans, and since it's useful for males, females are going to have it as it's in our DNA.


I mean, think of nipples. Dudes have them, too. But they're useless for us. They're there because it's in our DNA.
 
leeksfromchichis [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 9:04:09 PM  

Thoreny: Thoreny: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

That came out wrong. I mean that it's there because females and males are both humans, and since it's useful for males, females are going to have it as it's in our DNA.

I mean, think of nipples. Dudes have them, too. But they're useless for us. They're there because it's in our DNA.


encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.comView Full Size


They're not useless to Robert DeNiro
 
common sense is an oxymoron [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 9:04:45 PM  

Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.


Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.
 
Thoreny
2023-01-29 9:06:33 PM  

common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.


Could you give me a citation for that, please?

Not that I doubt you, but I remember reading about the exact opposite.
 
Unsung_Hero
2023-01-29 9:22:51 PM  

hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.


Neutral traits tend not to be conserved; anything that persists over many generations has a selection pressure weeding out mutations that would damage it.
 
common sense is an oxymoron [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2023-01-29 9:27:09 PM  

Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.

Could you give me a citation for that, please?

Not that I doubt you, but I remember reading about the exact opposite.


https://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/docs/publications/93_Durairajanayagam_et_al_Heat_Stress.pdf

Testicular temperatures should ideally be hypothermic compared to the core body temperature of 36.9 °C. This is essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis and ideal sperm characteristics. A crucial feature that contributes towards this is the anatomical position of the human testes, which is located outside the body.
 
ChatGPT
2023-01-29 10:25:32 PM  

aarond12: Did anyone ask ChatGPT?


Humans have pubic hair for a few reasons:

1. Protection: Pubic hair protects sensitive skin in the genital area from friction, chafing, and injury.

2. Pheromones: Pubic hair can trap and distribute pheromones, which are naturally occurring chemical signals that can influence sexual attraction and behavior.

3. Evolution: Pubic hair is a remnant from our ancestral past, when it served as a visual cue to indicate sexual maturity and readiness.

So, in short, pubic hair is like a wild jungle of protection, attraction, and evolution all wrapped up in one hairy package!
 
englaja
2023-01-29 10:56:33 PM  
Simple answer.

Public hair was invented by razor companies, to sell more razors.

/Or, in Mrs Englaja's case, to sell more petrol powered hedge trimmers
 
fredbox [TotalFark]
2023-01-29 11:03:14 PM  
Dental floss hadn't been invented yet.
 
Thoreny
2023-01-29 11:30:32 PM  

common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.

Could you give me a citation for that, please?

Not that I doubt you, but I remember reading about the exact opposite.

https://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/docs/publications/93_Durairajanayagam_et_al_Heat_Stress.pdf

Testicular temperatures should ideally be hypothermic compared to the core body temperature of 36.9 °C. This is essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis and ideal sperm characteristics. A crucial feature that contributes towards this is the anatomical position of the human testes, which is located outside the body.


Perhaps the hair helps regulate temperature, then.
 
hegelsghost
2023-01-29 11:41:56 PM  

anuran: hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.

No. Some of the common misconceptions about it are. The one you are mistaking for something a well informed biologist would say is the idea that traits are inherently "for" something and that organisms are "optimal". It's the Argument From Design with extra steps.

The more correct approach is to look at the record, similar structures in other organisms, and the history of related ones and see HOW things developed along with hints as to why they have been conserved. The plausible Just So Story is one of the worst traps. Evopsych is particularly prone to this mistake and must be viewed as pseudoscience


Hard to see how the pubic hair example fits in with your explanation of proper evolutionary biology ( I also thought evolutionary psyche was just one aspect of this approach, certainly its practitioners think so).  Obviously natural selection plays a role in determining many features of organisms. but it is still a logical fallacy to simply ASSUME
If A then B
B
Therefore A.
 
hegelsghost
2023-01-29 11:50:10 PM  
The key problem is the natural human desire to reduce everything to some one general principle. As I see it from afar, we have (1) wow cool natural selection helps explain variety within and between species and (2) this is so. damn cool we must assume, as a methodological principle. that every characteristic organisms have are the result of natural selection.
 
anuran
2023-01-29 11:57:06 PM  

hegelsghost: anuran: hegelsghost: Pardon the rant but this is why evolutionary biology can be dumb.  From the fact that some of our characteristics are the result of natural. selection, it does not follow that they all are... There could be, as in this instance, features that humans and other animals have that are neither conducive survival nor detrimental to surviva. Since such characteristics are neutral, no reason to try to force an evolutionary explanation for them.

No. Some of the common misconceptions about it are. The one you are mistaking for something a well informed biologist would say is the idea that traits are inherently "for" something and that organisms are "optimal". It's the Argument From Design with extra steps.

The more correct approach is to look at the record, similar structures in other organisms, and the history of related ones and see HOW things developed along with hints as to why they have been conserved. The plausible Just So Story is one of the worst traps. Evopsych is particularly prone to this mistake and must be viewed as pseudoscience

Hard to see how the pubic hair example fits in with your explanation of proper evolutionary biology ( I also thought evolutionary psyche was just one aspect of this approach, certainly its practitioners think so).  Obviously natural selection plays a role in determining many features of organisms. but it is still a logical fallacy to simply ASSUME
If A then B
B
Therefore A.


That bit of evolutionary biology isn't within my expertise, so I won't embarrass myself with meaningless speculation. I know just about nothing about pubic and axillary hair prevalence except that other less hairy mammals like mole rats and whales sometimes have the first. And a good biologist would NEVER say "It came into existence because it's good for X" or "It exists therefore it must be useful."

The evopsych people are extremely prone to saying "These behaviors are the way people I have observed are, therefore everyone is like this, and this long story I came up with which explains it is Human Nature, and isn't it amazing that Human Nature just happens to conform to MY cultural prejudices."
 
sensitive yet dangerous
2023-01-30 4:42:47 AM  

Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.

Could you give me a citation for that, please?

Not that I doubt you, but I remember reading about the exact opposite.

https://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/docs/publications/93_Durairajanayagam_et_al_Heat_Stress.pdf

Testicular temperatures should ideally be hypothermic compared to the core body temperature of 36.9 °C. This is essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis and ideal sperm characteristics. A crucial feature that contributes towards this is the anatomical position of the human testes, which is located outside the body.

Perhaps the hair helps regulate temperature, then.


Birds and many other animals (dolphins and such) have the same requirements but their testes are internal in special pouches which more effectively controls temps. Plus there are no unwieldy dangly bits to contend with, which must be nice.

Pubic hair probably mostly is there to keep foreign matter out and provide some degree of protection from chafing and such. You ever shave your balls and then notice they constantly stick to your legs? Yeah that doesn't happen so much with the hair in place.

Pubes do nothing to protect from STDs. Keeping smooth is how you prevent and treat pubic lice, after all. The big reason a lot of clean-shaven people may have more STDs than people sporting a full bush is that often with shaving, you get some nicks here and there. Broken skin is easier for pathogens to infect. Also, the kind of people who shave habitually tend to do so because they're expecting to fark, and that's how you get those afflictions in the first place.

I prefer a happy medium with close-trimmed (1/4" or so) hair: using a comb on the trimmer means there are no nicks or cuts, there are no shaving bumps, the hair is still long enough that it's not prickly and your balls aren't as sticky, and it doesn't look as weird as a totally smooth package on a dude who's older than 25, especially if that dude doesn't also shave everything else on his person. It'd be like a teddy bear with a bald spot on its crotch. Yeesh.
 
Larva Lump
2023-01-30 10:04:45 AM  

hegelsghost: Next article: Armpit hair..what is the point?


i.ebayimg.comView Full Size


Pheromones.
 
mjbok
2023-01-30 11:01:00 AM  

Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: common sense is an oxymoron: Thoreny: It keeps your balls warm for dudes, and for the dudettes it's there because it's useful for dudes.

Balls need to be kept cool for optimum fertility. A trait which did the opposite would soon disappear.

Could you give me a citation for that, please?

Not that I doubt you, but I remember reading about the exact opposite.

https://www.clevelandclinic.org/reproductiveresearchcenter/docs/publications/93_Durairajanayagam_et_al_Heat_Stress.pdf

Testicular temperatures should ideally be hypothermic compared to the core body temperature of 36.9 °C. This is essential for maintaining normal spermatogenesis and ideal sperm characteristics. A crucial feature that contributes towards this is the anatomical position of the human testes, which is located outside the body.

Perhaps the hair helps regulate temperature, then.


That makes no sense as there is little hair on the scrotum
 
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