Hipsters are the new hot topic for scientific research, after a mathematical formula proved why they all look and dress the same.
We're not sure what trend is driving this dive into the world of hipsterism, but science is finding out all sorts of new things about them all the same, and the latest piece of research explains exactly why growing a beard is so important to them.
Researchers who looked at over 100 species of primate found that the males develop "badges" to stand out, a form of marker that ensures that they can be easily spotted as being different to the others, and it seems this behaviour carries across into humans, hipsters included.
The study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour stated "that the more competition a fellow has to deal with, the more flamboyant he gets", producing evermore ostentatious ornaments and "badges" to woo a potential partner. According to the research, "these include the elongated noses of proboscis monkeys, cheek flanges in orang-utans, capes of white and silvery hair in hamadryas baboons, reddened chests in geladas, upper-lip warts in golden snub-nosed monkeys" and the hipster beard in humans.
Dr Cyril Grueter, lead author of the study, said that this type of behaviour is not as common in smaller groups where everyone knows each other and therefore can be easily distinguished, but "in large groups where individuals are surrounded by strangers, we need a quick reliable tool to evaluate someone’s strength and quality, and that’s where these elaborate ornaments come in. In the case of humans, this may also include phenotypic extensions such as body decoration, jewellery and prestige items".
Now all we need to do is find some hipster monkeys and prove the hypothesis put forward here. Next time you see a baboon on a fixie, give us or the team at the University of Western Australia a shout.
Via i100. Main pic via iulia Pironea/Flickr
