Tuesday, May 19, 2009

A Hairy Chest: is it any good?



You may not have noticed, but some men are very hairy, while others have no hair at all. Today though, I just want you to concentrate on the men who are very hairy. That is, those who fulfill the physiological criteria for a hairy chest as documented by Charles Darwin in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex: "those whose upper pectorals are covered with hair, several inches from the nipple to the neck" (See diagrams 3 and 4).
The direction of growth of 'a hairy chest' is fascinating, and can make for interesting patterns akin to depictions of mathematical vector fields. Some individuals (see pattern in diagram 3) have spirals on their upper pectoral regions which run clockwise on the left breast and counter-clockwise on the right. During his 5 year voyage on HMS Beagle, Darwin observed his men and noted that this pattern was "of particular significance in the natural selection process" and that as well as being more intelligent, men with spirals on their upper pectorals were more likely to "find one or more mates."
However, if you don't agree with the most renowned and celebrated scientist who has ever lived, feel free to allocate 'A Hairy Chest' less than 5 out of 5 below.

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