Scientists from the United Kingdom explained the presence of hair on the human body need to protect against skin parasites, according to Discovery News. The study was conducted by a team of specialists led by Michael Siva-Jothy of Sheffield University in England. The report on their work is published in the journal Biology Letters.

To participate in the study, Siva-Jouti and his colleagues selected 19 men and 10 women. Pushkin hair on the forearm of one of the hands of each participant was shaved. During the experiment, scientists asked the volunteers to turn away, and then placed five bed bugs on this or that hand.

The task of the participants was to inform the researchers every time they experienced extraneous sensations on the skin of the forearm - this was recorded as the detection of a parasite. In addition, scientists recorded the time that bugs needed to start sucking blood.

According to the study, volunteers reported the presence of insects on the shaved arm three times less often than on the limbs with a preserved hairline. Parasites also needed 30 percent more time to prepare for sucking blood from an unshaven hand.

Scientists believe that in the process of evolution, the need to combat skin parasites (bugs, lice, mites) remained relevant, in contrast to the need for protection from cold. This is why they explain the fact that the human hair has become less dense than in monkeys, but has not completely disappeared.

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