The study found that prehistoric humans cooked 780,000 years ago

A new study shows that Homo erectus cooked much earlier than previously thought. Evidence suggests that nutrients needed for brain development may come from cooked fish.

Exactly when we learn to cook is one of the most important evolutionary moments for our species. This is what made us modern humans.

“About one to two million years ago, prehistoric humans developed longer bodies and larger brains,” said David Brown, a professor of anthropology at the Columbian College of Art and Arts. “It is believed that high-calorie diets, and cooking in particular, led to This change.” Science in Washington, DC

A new study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, indicates that humans already cooked food around 780,000 years ago. To date, the earliest evidence of cooked food was around 170,000 years ago, when Homo sapiens and Neanderthals used fire to cook vegetables and meats.

The first cooking fires predate ‘homo sapiens’

The new study shows that Homo erectus, an ancestor of modern humans, cooked food much earlier than previously thought.

“Resetting this date back more than 600,000 years ago has implications for reconstructing the evolutionary history of prehistoric humans,” study co-author Jens Najorka, of the Natural History Museum in London, told DW.

The team of researchers found the evidence at an archaeological site located in the northern Jordan Valley, in present-day Israel. The site, called Gesher Bennot Ya’akov, is known to date to be about 780,000 years old.

It is believed that Homo erectus communities of the so-called Acheulian culture lived in the area. They ate a varied diet, including big game, fruits, vegetables, and freshwater fish from the nearby Paleolithic Hula Lake. But until now, experts didn’t know if the food was eaten raw or cooked.

Burnt fish teeth reveal ancient cooking practices

The team analyzed remains of fish teeth (both carp and rope) found near hearths in Gesher Benot Ya’akov.

By analyzing the crystal structure of the teeth, the researchers found that they were cooked at less than 500 degrees Celsius.

“This indicates that the fish was cooked at a controlled temperature rather than simply seared,” study co-author Irit Zohar from Tel Aviv University in Israel told DW. “Until now, no one has been able to prove that Homo erectus cooked. This is the first evidence that it had the cognitive ability to control fire and cook food.”

Why is it important to know when humans first started cooking

The evolution of cooking was a great moment in human evolution.

Zohar said, “People believe that the evolution from Homo erectus to Homo sapiens must be associated with a change in diet and the use of fire to cook food. There are changes in the anatomy of the jaw and skull that indicate this.”

Cooking makes meat, fish, and vegetables easier to digest, allowing the body and brain to grow more efficiently than eating raw foods. Cooking also makes food safer to eat because it kills potential pathogens.

said Brown, who was not involved in the study.

Would humans have followed the fish out of Africa?

According to the Zohar, prehistoric humans migrated from Africa through freshwater lakes and rivers. Sites of settlement and early human activity are almost always found near fresh water.

“Of course they are a source of water, but I think what is being overlooked is the importance of fish as a stable food source. [para os primeiros humanos]Zohar said.

Fish is a rich source of protein and nutrients and, unlike game animals, is available for consumption all year round.

“Some people think that early humans only ate fish when nothing else was available. Our study suggests that this is not true – we found that fish was cooked at all times of the year, which indicates that it was an important component of the diet.” Zohar said.

How does Homo erectus catch fish?

For Brown, one of the questions is how does Homo erectus hunt.

“There is no evidence of fishing technology at the time. The authors found 5,000 teeth at the site – a large amount of fish cooked for a small community,” said Brown.

According to the authors, the water in the wetlands was very shallow, meaning people did not necessarily need technology such as nets or fishing rods.

“We think they used their hands, just as people do river fish to this day,” the Zohar said.

Sea fishing with tools such as spears and nets is believed to be a relatively recent development in human history. The oldest hook dates back to 42,000 years ago, which means that humans struggled with fish for hundreds of thousands of years before finding ways more reliable than just “hands-on”.