Naked Apes, Featherless Chickens, and Talking Pigs: Adventures in the Platonic History of Body-hair and Other Human Attributes

2021 ◽  
pp. 194-216
Author(s):  
Alastair J. L. Blanshard
Keyword(s):  
Body Hair ◽  
History Of ◽  
Human Attributes

The naked ape as an evolutionary model, 50 years later

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-246
Author(s):  
Nico M. van Straalen
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Model ◽  
Developmental Constraints ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
Product Evolution ◽  
Adaptive Explanation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Popular Texts ◽  
The Brain

AbstractEvolution acts through a combination of four different drivers: (1) mutation, (2) selection, (3) genetic drift, and (4) developmental constraints. There is a tendency among some biologists to frame evolution as the sole result of natural selection, and this tendency is reinforced by many popular texts. “The Naked Ape” by Desmond Morris, published 50 years ago, is no exception. In this paper I argue that evolutionary biology is much richer than natural selection alone. I illustrate this by reconstructing the evolutionary history of five different organs of the human body: foot, pelvis, scrotum, hand and brain. Factors like developmental tinkering, by-product evolution, exaptation and heterochrony are powerful forces for body-plan innovations and the appearance of such innovations in human ancestors does not always require an adaptive explanation. While Morris explained the lack of body hair in the human species by sexual selection, I argue that molecular tinkering of regulatory genes expressed in the brain, followed by positive selection for neotenic features, may have been the driving factor, with loss of body hair as a secondary consequence.

scholarly journals History of Dermatology and Venereology in Serbia - Part I: Medieval Dermatovenereology / Istorija Dermatovenerologije U Srbiji - I Deo: Srednjovekovna Dermatovenerologija

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
Bosiljka M. Lalević-Vasić ◽  
Branko Bobić
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Middle Ages ◽  
Skin Diseases ◽  
Ground Glass ◽  
Scientific Medicine ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
Medieval Medicine ◽  
History Of Dermatology ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 19Th Century

Abstract Medieval medicine in Serbia used to be the scientific medicine of that time. It included dermatology and venereology, which developed into an independent discipline in the second half of the 19th century. The most relevant sources for studying dermatology and venereology are Serbian medieval medical and therapeutic codices. The terms used in the manuscripts report about the diseases people in Serbia suffered from and were treated for in the Middle Ages. The following diseases were reported: scabies, leprosy, fungal scalp infections, as well as psoriasis, crusts (pyococcal ulcers), granulation, baldness, excessive body hair, leg wounds and old wounds, facial spots, unspecified skin diseases, urethritis and syphilis. Special attention was also given to cosmetics. Topical remedies were applied - various herbs, sulphur, mercury, tar, pyrethrum, plasters, ground glass, auripigment - in the form of a powder, liniment, ointment or plaster.

The Human Brain

1930 ◽  
Vol 76 (313) ◽  
pp. 245-249
Author(s):  
G. Elliot Smith
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
History Of ◽  
Human Attributes ◽  
The Brain

Man is distinguished from all other living creatures by the quality and range of his intellect, and on the physical side by the nature of the brain which confers upon him this mental pre-eminence. Moreover, as its exceptional powers were acquired by a process of evolution, the true significance of the human attributes can only be appreciated by examining the history of their development.

Biosocial aspects of Ainu hirsuteness

1969 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Harvey ◽  
D. R. Brothwell
Keyword(s):  
Field Work ◽  
Social Attitudes ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
Facial Hair ◽  
Controversial Subject ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of ◽  
Methodological Problems ◽  
Northern Japan

SummaryThere are as yet few studies of body hair variation in man. Of all human populations, the Ainu of Japan are most famous for their alleged hirsuteness, and the history of this somewhat controversial subject is reviewed. Data are presented on chest, back and facial hair pattern and quantity in a sample of Ainu and Ainu/Japanese hybrids, resulting initially from field work by the Cambridge Expedition to Northern Japan in 1964. Methodological problems are discussed. Social attitudes to hairiness in Japan over the past few centuries are commented on, in view of their possible relevance in maintaining the biological distinctiveness of the Ainu. It is concluded that although the Ainu have more body hair than other Japanese, compared with some other groups—for instance American ‘Whites’—they can not be considered exceptionally hirsute.

scholarly journals Ibn Khuzaymah Dan Takwil Hadis Sifat: Sebuah Analisis Kepada Kandungan Hadis Wajh Dan Ṣūrah

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Zamzuri Bin Harun ◽  
Umar Muhammad Noor
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Literal Meaning ◽  
Islamic Theology ◽  
History Of ◽  
Human Attributes ◽  
Figurative Interpretation

How to understand the content of Hadis Sifat is one of the most contested topics in the history of Islamic theology. In short, Hadis Sifat is a term for certain hadiss that seem to assign human attributes to God. Methodological differences in understanding the content of such hadiss have sparked polemics between those who endorse ta’wil (figurative interpretation) and those who disapprove it. This article will examine the approach used by Muhammad bin Ishāq bin Khuzaymah (d. 311 H), a respected scholar of hadis in Nishapur, in dealing with Hadis Sifat in his Kitāb al-Tawḥīd. It will observe his commentaries on certain hadiss in which the prophet explicitly mentioned divine face (wajh) and form (ṣūrah). This study applied document and textual analysis. It found that although Ibn Khuzaymah generally stressed on the obligation of accepting the literal meaning, he did not entirely discard the ta’wil interpretation. He in some cases applied speculative interpretation to avoid misconceptions and to prevent anthropomorphism.

scholarly journals Evolution of Hair Transplant Surgery in India: A Plastic Surgeon's Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 (04) ◽  
pp. 446-450
Author(s):  
K. Ramachandran
Keyword(s):  
Plastic Surgeon ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
The Past ◽  
Hair Transplant ◽  
History Of ◽  
Follicular Unit Extraction ◽  
Follicular Unit

AbstractThis article is mainly aimed to delve into the history of hair transplant and its evolution in India. As a plastic surgeon in practice for the past 35 years, I have seen hair transplant surgery undergoing various transformations starting with initial use of plugs and flaps. Scalp reduction surgery also played an important role. Plugs slowly gave way to mini- and micrografts. With the incorporation of the microscope and popularizing of strip surgery and improved slivering techniques, mega sessions came to the fore thereby covering large areas. Follicular unit extraction and use of body hair have also been discussed.

The Class Menagerie

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rusty Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Mailing List ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
Linguistic Style ◽  
Gay Male ◽  
History Of

This chapter discusses the appropriation of stereotypes of southern speech among early members of the (gay male) bear subculture. Bear subculture emphasizes the properties of being heavyset and having higher-than-average amounts of body hair. The chapter begins with an overview of bear subculture, including a history of the emergence of the subculture in the early 1990s. The chapter then discusses the emergence of bear slang and the use of the “bear codes” on the Bear Mailing List. It is argued that early bear subculture constructed gay masculinity through the appropriation of stereotyped representations of southern working-class men. An analysis of language use on the Bear Mailing List reveals the use of Mock Hillbilly, a linguistic style characterized by the exaggerated representations of Appalachian and Ozark dialects of English, including the use of eye-dialect in email messages. It is argued that the appropriation of southern stereotypes allowed early bears to construct a form of masculinity that aligned with being overweight.

scholarly journals 48XXYY Syndrome in an Adult with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Unilateral Renal Aplasia, and Pigmentary Retinitis

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baha Zantour ◽  
Mohamed Habib Sfar ◽  
Samia Younes ◽  
Wafa Alaya ◽  
Mahdi Kamoun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Personal History ◽  
Hypergonadotropic Hypogonadism ◽  
Body Hair ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytopathy ◽  
Dysmorphic Features ◽  
History Of ◽  
Renal Aplasia ◽  
Chromosomal Type

A 45-year-old male was referred for diabetes mellitus. Clinical examination found a family history of multiple precocious deaths, strong consanguinity, personal history of seizures during childhood, small testicles, small penis, sparse body hair, long arms and legs, dysmorphic features, mental retardation, dysarthria, tremor, and mild gait ataxia. Investigations found pigmentary retinitis, metabolic syndrome, unilateral renal aplasia, and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism, and ruled out mitochondrial cytopathy and leucodystrophy. Karyotype study showed a 48XXYY chromosomal type. Renal aplasia and pigmentary retinitis have not been described in 48XXYY patients. They may be related to the chromosomal sex aneuploidy, or caused by other genetic aberrations in light of the high consanguinity rate in the patient's family.

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