Final answer:
Research into the coevolution of humans and lice suggests that pubic lice, along with other human-associated lice, track back to a common ancestor with chimpanzee and gorilla lice. Genome studies of lice indicate the ancient origins of humans and lice in Africa, which aligns with the Out of Africa theory and offers insights regarding when humans began wearing clothes and lost body hair.
Step-by-step explanation:
The development of pubic or crab lice (Pthirus pubis) in humans is a subject of scientific research concerning the coevolution of humans and lice. According to evolutionary studies, human head (Pediculus humanus capitis), body (Pediculus humanus corporis), and pubic lice have diverged from a common ancestor. The genome of African lice indicates the initial existence of humans and lice in Africa, supporting the Out of Africa model of human migration.
By examining genetic diversity and mutations, researchers have been able to trace back and estimate when humans started losing body hair and began wearing clothes. This divergence from a common ancestor with chimpanzee and gorilla lice provides a timeline that correlates with the evolutionary separation of the human lineage from chimpanzees around six million years ago. Studying the relationship between humans and lice offers valuable insights into both our evolutionary path and the history of human habits such as clothing use.
David Reed, an associate curator of mammals, has been at the forefront of this research, highlighting the importance of lice as indicators of human evolutionary biology and disease transmission among humans without the need for a flea vector. Reed's work has further implications for our understanding of the spread of diseases like the plague, suggesting that lice could have played a role in transmitting this and potentially other diseases throughout human history.