Hair
hideHair is a protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class. Although other non-mammals, especially insects, show filamentous outgrowths, these are not considered "hair" in the scientific sense. So-called "hairs" (trichomes) are also found on plants. The projections on arthropods such as insects and spiders are actually insect bristles, composed of a polysaccharide called chitin. There are varieties of cats, dogs, and mice bred to have little or no visible fur. In some species, hair is absent at certain stages of life. The main component of hair fiber is keratin.
The hair can be divided into three parts length-wise, (1) the bulb, a swelling at the base which originates from the dermis, (2) the root, which is the hair lying beneath the skin surface, and (3) the shaft, which is the hair above the skin surface. In cross-section, there are also three parts, (1) the medulla, an area in the core which contains loose cells and airspaces (2) the cortex, which contains densely packed keratin and (3) the cuticle, which is a single layer of cells arranged like roof shingles.
For more information about Hair, read the full article at
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News tagged with hair
No longer a gray area: Our hair bleaches itself as we grow older
Biology /
Feb 23, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (25) |
4
Wash away your gray? Maybe. A team of European scientists have finally solved a mystery that has perplexed humans throughout the ages: why we turn gray. Despite the notion that gray hair is a sign of wisdom, these researchers ...
Hollywood Hair is Captured at Last
Technology / Computer Sciences
Aug 13, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (14) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- UC San Diego computer scientists presented a new method this week for accurately capturing the shape and appearance of a person’s hairstyle for use in animated films and video games.
Oetzi the Iceman dressed like a herdsman
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Aug 21, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (11) |
2
A famous Neolithic Iceman is dressed in clothes made from sheep and cattle hair, a new study shows. The researchers say their findings support the idea that the Iceman was a herdsman, and that their technique, reported today ...
Stress makes your hair go gray
Jun 11, 2009 |
4 / 5 (11) |
3
Those pesky graying hairs that tend to crop up with age really are signs of stress, reveals a new report in the June 12 issue of Cell.
Embryonic stem cells used to regenerate hair on mice in Japan
Apr 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
1
A university lecturer in Japan has succeeded in regenerating hair on mice using embryonic stem cells, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of treatments for conditions including hair loss, it has been ...
Ion channel turns ear on its head
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Apr 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
0
Scientists thought they had a good model to explain how the inner ear translates vibrations in the air into sounds heard by the brain. Now, based on new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine, it looks like ...
Single gene may cause curly hair
Nov 10, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (8) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists in Australia have identified a single gene that strongly influences whether you have curly or straight hair.
New research finds way to restore colour to white hair following illness
Nov 13, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (6) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a way to potentially restore colour to white hair, new research in the British Journal of Dermatology reveals this month.
Power steering for your hearing: Ears have tiny 'flexoelectric' motors to amplify sound
Apr 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
1
Utah and Texas researchers have learned how quiet sounds are magnified by bundles of tiny, hair-like tubes atop "hair cells" in the ear: when the tubes dance back and forth, they act as "flexoelectric motors" ...
New Forensic Method Aims to Predict What a Person Looks Like from DNA Sample
Mar 02, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Arizona research team recently completed a study looking at the DNA blueprint of almost 1,000 individuals and comparing that to detailed measurements of their hair, skin and ...
Stem cells in hair follicles point to general model of organ regeneration
Biology /
Feb 06, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people consider hair as a purely cosmetic part of their lives. To others, it may help uncover one of nature’s best-kept secrets: the body’s ability to regenerate organs. Now, new research ...
Analysis of Copernicus putative remains support identity
Jul 07, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
0
Swedish and polish researchers now publish results from the analysis of the putative remains of Copernicus. A DNA-analysis of shed of hairs found in a book from Museum Gustavianum, Uppsala University, was ...
Neurons in zebrafish may reveal clues to the wiring of the human ear
Sep 23, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Developing neurons tend to play the field, making more connections than they will ever need. Then, the weakest are cut. But Rockefeller University scientists now show that neurons in young ...
Hair of Tasmanian Tiger Yields Genes of Extinct Species
Biology /
Jan 12, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
1
All the genes that the exotic Tasmanian Tiger inherited only from its mother will be revealed by an international team of scientists in a research paper to be published on 13 January 2009 in the online edition ...
Researchers Develop Flow Sensors Based on Blind Fish Hair Structures
Mar 24, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- A blind fish that has evolved a unique technique for sensing motion may inspire a new generation of sensors that perform better than current active sonar.
