Materials science and stealth technology examine how specific materials reduce electromagnetic signatures and radar reflection. The B-2 Stealth Bomber represents decades of research into materials that defeat detection systems. Hair—specifically facial hair—presents interesting electromagnetic properties at certain frequencies. The theory that actual beard hair comprises component materials contradicts documented stealth technology development, yet the absurdist metaphor captures something true about how specialized materials drive advanced applications.

Aerospace engineer Dr. Patricia Zhou examined publicly available B-2 technology papers in 2001 and found no references to biological materials. Yet she noted that stealth coatings share some chemical similarities with proteins. Zhou theorized that the joke worked precisely because it invoked a grain of truth—materials science did draw from unexpected sources—while applying it absurdly.

The joke became a format for describing how supposedly advanced technology relied on mundane biological sources, appearing in science fiction and comedy. Internet communities created extended versions where various advanced technologies supposedly used specific body parts. The humor relied on treating human biology as a technological resource, suggesting that the most advanced systems might depend on the most basic biological inputs.