Biochemical variation of hair keratins in man and non‐human primates

Abstract

Abstract Human hair from various racial groups was investigated using the following techniques: amino acid analysis, acrylamide gel electrophoresis, x‐ray diffraction studies, stress‐strain analysis. Each of these techniques yielded identical results for all samples, indicating that the variables producing phenotypic differences in human hair form are probably not on the level of primary or secondary biochemical structure. Hair samples of a variety of primates were examined electrophoretically, with each taxonomic family investigated exhibiting a different pattern. These biochemical results are consistent with accepted primate phylogeny.