The Evolutionary Trajectory of Primate Skin Appendage Traits

    September 2018 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    Yana G. Kamberov, Samantha Guhan, Alessandra DeMarchis, Jianming Jiang, Sara Sherwood Wright, Bruce Morgan, Pardis C. Sabeti, Clifford J. Tabin, Daniel E. Lieberman
    TLDR Humans evolved to have less hair and more sweat glands than chimpanzees and macaques.
    The study investigated the evolutionary changes in hair follicles and eccrine sweat glands among humans, macaques, and chimpanzees. It found that while humans have a significantly lower hair density similar to chimpanzees, their eccrine gland density is about 10 times higher than both chimpanzees and macaques. This suggests that the evolutionary trajectory involved a decrease in hair density in the common ancestors of humans and apes, followed by a unique increase in eccrine gland density and reduction in fur cover in humans. This research clarified the distinct evolutionary path of human skin traits.
    Discuss this study in the Community →