Science Provides the Best Reason Ever For Men To Not Wax Their Chests

Good news for men who’ve eschewed that whole man-scaping trend: when the Bedbug Apocalypse comes, those hairy guys will be among the last victims attacked.

So says Professor Michael Siva-Jothy of Sheffield University’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences in the UK, who did a study that found heavier layers of hair near the skin’s surface work to ward off the little bloodsucking critters. Even finer body hair serves a purpose — it lets us know the insects are present, even if we can’t yet feel them on our skin.

Siva-Jothy’s work may also tell us something about why we look the way we do. Early humans were pretty furry, and while we’ve since shed most of that, it could be that we kept some hair as a sort of built-in insect deflection system.

So put down those wax strips. Women may find you repellant, but hey, so will the bugs.

[Via BBC News]