Answer 1:
Good question. These are the only places on
the outside of the human body that do not have any
hair. Other places may look hairless, but there
are small, fine hairs there.
Humans are mammals, meaning that we have hair
and that mothers in our species produce milk for
their babies. Some mammals look like they don’t
have any hair. Whales have hair as fetuses, but
it’s gone by the time they are born. Naked mole
rats live underground in the desert and don’t have
fur, but they have whiskers to help them find
their way and sense vibrations.
Hair grows from special cells that form
follicles. Some mammals have a lot more hair than
we do, but they don’t necessarily have any more
hair follicles. We have about as many hair
follicles as chimps do, but most of our hair is a
lot shorter. Like us, chimps have no fur on their
palms or soles. They also have very little fur on
their faces. Why do you think their faces have so
little hair?
Thanks for asking,
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Answer 4:
Thanks for the question!
Short answer: No, but some people do.
Long answer: The growth of our hair begins under
the skin under hair follicles. At this place,
cells divide and multiply until they are pushed
out of the follicle and harden and that becomes
the hair shaft which is dead tissue and keratin (a
protein). Due to evolution, there is no point in
having hair grow on the palms of our hands and the
bottom of our feet because it would be worn down
all the time. It would also be more difficult for
us to grab onto things and have grip if we had
hair on those areas (think of a dog or cat paw!)
The skin on these areas are also very thick
compared to other parts of our body so it would be
difficult to form hair follicles there. So due to
evolution, we usually do not have hair growing
there. But of course there are always exceptions
and there are certain mutations that people can
and do have that make their bodies grow hair in
those areas.
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