Article: Hooray for hair!

Background

Hair is a unique feature of mammals, with most having thick coats of body hair that protects them from the weather, the sun, and predators. Unlike other mammals, most of our 5 million or so body hairs are on our scalp. Every hair is an outgrowth of part of our skin and each has two parts: The follicle, or root, is buried within our scalp; and the shaft, the part we see and feel, is above the scalp. Our hair consists mostly of keratin. It's the same protein as our toenails and fingernails, as are bird beaks, claws, feathers, porcupine quills, and hooves.

Three types of hair grow on the human body. While still in the womb, babies develop very ...

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