Final answer:
Homo sapiens started wearing clothes around 170,000 years ago, according to genetic analyses of lice. This is supported by the research on the coevolution of humans and lice by Dr. David Reed, which indicates that clothing use was not immediate after the loss of body hair. Adaptations in body lice suggest that clothing use emerged among anatomically modern humans.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on genetic analyses of lice, Homo sapiens started wearing clothes around 170,000 years ago. Genetic information provided by mtDNA indicates that all humans shared common ancestors who lived in Africa 200,000 years ago. Dr. David Reed's research on the coevolution of humans and lice suggests that the wearing of clothes was not an immediate response to the loss of body hair, which occurred about a million years ago. The body louse adapted structures to attach to clothes instead of hair, indicating the emergence of clothing use by anatomically modern humans.
The research conducted by Dr. David Reed and colleagues suggests a period when humans began to wear clothes which is much earlier than the invention of sewing needles around 30,000 years ago. The wearing of clothing is thought to have occurred after the loss of body hair for thermoregulatory reasons about a million years ago, indicating a significant period when humans did not wear clothes.
As humanity moved into colder climates, they adapted by creating new forms of clothing from animal hides using rock tools and eventually developed sewing techniques. The adaptation of body lice to cling to clothing rather than hair is a pivotal piece of evidence supporting this timeline.