While I wanted a causal reason for the increase in relative hair-growth (e.g., mutations in Genes X, Y, Z lead to a prolongation of the phase of anagen in humans), instead I found posts by evolutionary biologists positing that it was an adaptive development to deal with the cold. For instance, just the other day I wondered to myself, “Why do humans have such long hair?” We have the longest hair of any mammals– especially of those naturally occurring. My biggest complaint about these “interesting thoughts” is why we insist that a single physical trait be acted upon directly as if it exists in a morphological vacuum.

In addition, so often these hypotheses are untestable, so in actuality they’re not even “hypotheses”. While modern hypotheses may seem a little less far-fetched, they are no less fanciful– in part because modern scientists are sometimes so focused on “What adaptive advantage could this trait possibly give?” rather than determining how said trait could have arisen and been passed down by other means. The great Stephen Jay Gould referred to these hypotheses concerning adaptation of features as “Just So Stories,” named after the popular children’s book by Rudyard Kipling that, through a series of charming tales, told how different animals acquired their unique features, such as the camel and his hump. ~Rudyard Kipling, How the Camel Got His Hump.Īlthough we all realize that the camel didn’t get its hump out of laziness and that this is just a cute children’s story designed to impress upon kids the value of honest work, some days I’m not so sure that current theories about adaptation aren’t far off the same mark. Come out of the Desert and go to the Three, and behave. You will be able to work now for three days without eating, because you can live on your humph and don’t you ever say I never did anything for you. ‘That’s made a-purpose,’ said the Djinn, ‘all because you missed those three days.

‘How can I,’ said the Camel, ‘with this humph on my back?’ To-day is Thursday, and you’ve done no work since Monday, when the work began.

‘That’s your very own humph that you’ve brought upon your very own self by not working. And the Camel said ‘Humph!’ again but no sooner had he said it than he saw his back, that he was so proud of, puffing up and puffing up into a great big lolloping humph.

A just so story