Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Generation of Integration-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Hair-derived Keratinocytes
Published on: August 20, 2015
Not quite naked: the bare necessities of human body hair evolution
Leah C Redmond1, Claire A Higgins1
1Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Abstract:
A striking characteristic that sets modern humans apart from their ancestors is the lack of a thick fur coat. Despite being popularly dubbed 'the naked ape', humans are covered in 2-3 million vellus hair follicles producing tiny hair fibres. This review explores why humans evolved thinner body hair, with a focus on the need for an effective cooling mechanism. We address anthropological evidence and traits that developed in parallel with humans losing their fur. We then discuss the differences between thick terminal hairs and thin vellus hairs, and the role of the dermal papilla in the regulation of hair fibre thickness. Taking inspiration from genes involved in hirsutism, hypertrichosis and hair thickness, and expression of these genes in the dermal papilla, we propose a linear switch regulator hypothesis of how humans have evolved to not develop terminal hair on their bodies.
More Related Videos
13:58Flat Mount Imaging of Mouse Skin and Its Application to the Analysis of Hair Follicle Patterning and Sensory Axon Morphology
Published on: June 25, 2014
04:37Generation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Planar Hair-bearing Skin Organoids Using an Air-Liquid Interface Culture System
Published on: October 17, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair Growth and Types
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair and Hair Follicles
Hair is a keratinous filament growing out of the epidermis. It is primarily made of dead, keratinized cells. Hair strands originate at the epidermal penetration called the hair follicle. The hair shaft is the part...
Multipotency and Niche of Bulge Stem Cell
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Hypodermis
Body Temperature