Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Other Hair Morphologies. Beards are a secondary sexual characteristic. They gave warmth, protection, showed virility, Maturity or social dominance. They attract mates, intimidate rivals, And yield minor UV protection. Style has gone from a symbol of natural power To an indicator of unkemptness, and now, A curated fashion statement. Different cultures viewed the amount of hair differently. Greeks sported beards, while Romans were clean-shaven. Two thousand years ago, trimming was performed With shells, flint, or bronze. Chest hair served roughly the same purpose Armpit or axillary hair functioned to trap And disperse pheromones From apocrine sweat glands to attract mates. It also acted as a natural lubricant to reduce skin friction. Additionally, it likely served as a protective barrier For high-vascularity areas, plus signalling sexual maturity. Pubic hair signals the area for mating purposes. It also traps pheromones and acts as a maturity signal. It possibly evolved about 3.3 million years ago With the loss of the majority of body hair. It also reduces friction, provides warmth, And acts as a barrier to bacteria. In humans, it appears during puberty--unique to humans. It probably is not vestigial, because it is functiional And it is a specialized feature of human sexual anatomy. Do consider the coevolution of lice from rodents To gorillas and shared by chimps and humans. Frank Maurer 28 February 2026 1325 Hours.