What is the original function of head hair? Why does it grow so long?

[goodsamaritan]

In primitive paleo times, it is possible that people didn't bother to cut their head hair nor shave their beards.

Currently, I see long head healthy head hair of women as a signal of fertility, sexy, healthy.

My question is, what possible function would long head hair have?

[TylerDurden]

In primitive paleo times, it is possible that people didn't bother to cut their head hair nor shave their beards.

Currently, I see long head healthy head hair of women as a signal of fertility, sexy, healthy.

My question is, what possible function would long head hair have?

from what I understand, really long hair such as what we can have today is only possible because we live in such sheltered, modern environments. In palaeo times, there were no hair-conditioners and hair would have become torn above a certain length due to coming into contact with shrubs etc.

[Ioanna]

I don't know if I'll be able to articulate this well, but I once knew someone who worked with autistic children who had a hypothesis about this based on that people without neurological deficits have more trace metals in their hair than those with, he thought this had something to do with an impaired elimination of trace metals by those with neurological deficits.  He then went on to hair = antenna.... like the cliche mental patient who puts a metal/aluminum hat on their head... he thinks that is the basis for that.  Actually, now that I think of it, he also said that mental patients have a tendency to eat raw meat, for which, of course, they are scolded.  

I'm now also remembering the story of Hercules...  physical strength associated with his long hair, but physical weakness without it.

[Josh]

I heard a theory that one of the reasons was as we became upright, a full mane of hair helped identify us from a distance on the Savannah.

Whatever the reason though, I'd imagine that our prehuman ancestors were capable of cutting each others hair as part of grooming which may be why it doesn't have to stop growing.

[wodgina]

Someone charging at you with a massive head full of hair would look more scary. (Dread)locks.

Keeps the sun off your neck and ears.

Looks good on women.

Shows health.

[wodgina]

You can cut it by burning it. Plucking it. Paleo people would of had alot of time on their hands.

[William]

No modern knife is as sharp as stone knives, so they could have cut it easily.

Anyone tried making a fish net from hair? If it's strong enough that would do for small fish.

[goodsamaritan]

No modern knife is as sharp as stone knives, so they could have cut it easily.

Now this is interesting... stone knives are sharper?  I need to have one of those.

[TylerDurden]

No modern knife is as sharp as stone knives, so they could have cut it easily.

Anyone tried making a fish net from hair? If it's strong enough that would do for small fish.

The idea that stone knives are sharper is uterly ludicrous.

[Raw Rob]

The idea that stone knives are sharper is uterly ludicrous.

It's actually not. Obsidian knives are the sharpest. They are used in surgeon's scalpels because their edge can be honed down to the molecular level. This enables them to often cut in between cells, rather than tearing through them, which produces less bleeding and less scarring.

I don't know if paleo man could get their obsidian knife edges down to that level, but I'm sure they were pretty sharp.     

[Raw Kyle]

Wouldn't a sharper knife cut through cells and a broader edge in between?

[TylerDurden]

It's actually not. Obsidian knives are the sharpest. They are used in surgeon's scalpels because their edge can be honed down to the molecular level. This enables them to often cut in between cells, rather than tearing through them, which produces less bleeding and less scarring.

I don't know if paleo man could get their obsidian knife edges down to that level, but I'm sure they were pretty sharp.     

The surgical obsidian blades hav edges 3 nanometres thick. Something not truly achievable in palaeo times. And given the coarse roughness of flitns/obsidian or whatever in stone-age cultures, I just can't see how it could be common-place to shave.

[William]

The surgical obsidian blades hav edges 3 nanometres thick. Something not truly achievable in palaeo times. And given the coarse roughness of flitns/obsidian or whatever in stone-age cultures, I just can't see how it could be common-place to shave.

Stone-age man certainly did make the keenest of edges of cutting tools; see here:
http://www.sterlingsculptures.com/Resources_folder/Knapping_folder/Knapping_2.htm


"Note the heavy leather glove on his left hand, and the thick leather pad on his leg. The flakes he'll be removing are said to be the sharpest edge known to man. Because of the conchoidal breakage characteristics of obsidian, the edge produced is feathered out to an edge one molecule thick, far sharper than the best surgical steel."

I propose that shaving is a modern perversion driven by neolithic females, who are trained to prefer husbands who look childish.
Paleoman would have preferred not to provide a feast for carnivorous bugs while he lurked in a bush waiting for his prey to graze/browse past. Ear hair is good!
I'm not sure about nose hair though. Speculation wanted. 

[wodgina]

This studied shows that men found women with long hair more attractive especially the not so good looking ones.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w5ve9ul3ht1yqlpg/