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Have you ever wondered why you have hair on your legs but not on the soles of your feet?
Or why do we have a lot of hair on our head, but not a single hair on our palms?
The question has for years been an open question for doctors, researchers and other specialists in the complex machinery of the human body.
For decades, science has confined itself to considering that it was an evolutionary function of certain animals, but the physiological explanation of how it is produced does not was until recently not a question.
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania's Faculty of Medicine have been investigating this "mystery" for years and now claim to have discovered an answer.
The study, published in the journal Cell Reports states that "the culprit" that no we get hair in certain areas of our body is a special kind of molecule, for more signal, a protein.
According to the researchers, this is Dickkopf 2 (DKK2), which blocks the "WNT signaling pathways", cellular channels that, among other things, are responsible for triggering growth hair.
"We know that WNT signaling is essential for the development of hair follicles; blocking it causes hair-free skin and activating it causes more hair to form, "he said.
But why do some animals have hair on most of the body and hair? others not?
What will evolve
The study suggests that it is, as has been felt for years, an evolutionary adaptation.
The investigation considers that some animals evolved to produce DKK2 in certain parts of their bodies in order to help them to better survive their environment
Thus, for example, a hairless hand would serve more to hold instruments or other tasks, while the absence of villi on the soles of the feet would help to better walk.
By cons, in cold climates, better if they are coated, as in the case of polar bears.
![104549304gettyimages 1066343716-735e8b83ee0966a7e93bf49c9ce9f823.jpg [19659017] To reach these conclusions, the team badyzed the skin of the paws of a mouse. ón (who, like humans, does not have hair on their plants) and compared it to other animals that have it, such as rabbits. </p>
<p> By comparing the levels of DKK2 between the two species, they found that the amount of protein was significantly lower in the skin of animals with hair on the soles of their legs. </p>
<p> At the same time, the level of the molecule was much higher in areas where hair does not grow than in hairier regions. </p>
<p> The study indicates that it is not areas without WNT signaling pathways, hair generators, but that the protein blocks them. </p>
<p> The researchers now hope that this discovery can be used for further research on hair growth, to treat certain diseases or for future treatments in people who have suffered serious burns or accidents. </p>
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