When did humans start wearing clothes?
As early humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, they came down from the trees, began to walk upright and lost their fur. But without fur, our ancestors would have been exposed to the elements. They would have needed clothing for protection. So when did humans start wearing clothes? This is a tricky question, because clothes don't survive the way artifacts made of stone, bone and other hard materials do. Instead, scientists have to get creative. The evidence used to answer this question comes from a few main sources, including bones bearing evidence of skinning, sewing needles and awls, and lice. Related: When did Homo sapiens first appear? "We tried to understand what changes have happened in lice evolutionary History that might be correlated with loss of body hair in humans , and then the subsequent acquisition of clothing use in humans ," David Reed , a biologist at the University of Florida, told Live Science . Lice are incredibly specialized to their habitats...