Curly hair may have evolved to keep early humans cool, study suggests

A thermal manikin wearing tightly curled, left, and straight, right, human hair wigs (Professor George Havenith/Loughborough University)

Curly hair may have evolved in early humans living in Africa thousands of years ago to help stay cool and protect from the sun’s harmful rays, research suggests.

Scientists found that tightly coiled hair provided a barrier against solar radiation to protect the scalp.