Wednesday 4 April 2012

WHY don't people get goose bumps on their faces?

Be proud of the fact hat you don't get goose bumps on your face. It's  one of the few things that separate you from chimps. We get goose bumps only on parts of our bodies that have hair. The purpose of body hair is to protect us from the cold. But when our hair doesn't provide enough insulation, the small muscles at the bottom of each hair tighten, so that the hair stands up.
In animals covered with fur, this means that a protective nest of hairs is formed. Cold air is trapped in the hair instead of bouncing against delicate skin. The hair thus insulates the animals against the cold.
Although humans have lost most of their body hair, the same muscular contractions occur to defend against the cold. Instead of a mat of hair, all we have to face the elements are a few wispy tufts and a multitude of mounds of skin. When a male lion gets goose bumps, his erect hair makes him ferocious; our goose bumps only make us look vulnerable.

No comments:

Post a Comment