I Just Learned Why Parka Hoods Have Fur, And It's More Impressive Than I Thought

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68cd54901800003afa5cfa12.jpeg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="Fur lined parka hood" data-caption="Fur lined parka hood" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="Kelly Sikkema via Unsplash" />Fur lined parka hood</div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>You might already know that the <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/suit-sleeve-buttons-history_uk_68ca7b65e4b0765c8250f970">buttons on suit jackets</a> have a surprisingly medical history, or that those <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeans-tiny-pocket-explained_uk_68c0005ee4b04bc9f0259757">tiny pockets in your jeans</a> were originally meant for timepieces. </p><p>Yes, I’ll grant you, the fur and faux fur lining the outside of our hoods seems like more of an obvious addition. It can help to keep rain and snow out of our eyes, looks great, and feels cosy. </p><p>Case closed, right? Well, I’d have thought so – but it turns out that there’s more science going on behind the hood than I ever knew.</p><h2><strong>Fur on hoods provides a seriously clever air buffer</strong></h2><p><a href="https://www.int-res.com/articles/cr2004/26/c026p077.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A 2004 paper noted </a>that traditional Inuit clothing, which is the origin of fur-trimmed hoods, hems, and cuffs, is “the most effective cold weather clothing developed to date”. </p><p>To help work out why this technology was so incredibly effective, scientists looked at the effects of various Inuit fur-lined hoods on heated dummy faces in a cold wind tunnel. </p><p>When it’s windy, friction created by the fur causes molecules to collide near the skin in what is called a “boundary layer” of stiller