Are you curious about why our human brains are so much larger than those of other animals?A new study in the United States has given an interesting explanation - the fermented foods consumed by primitive humans may be the "fuel" for the rapid evolution of our brains!
I believe everyone has the feeling that modern people's mental activities are more frequent and complex than those of ancient people. Archaeological research has also confirmed that 70 million years ago, our ancestors had only the size of some ape-like brains. 30 million years ago, with the advent of the Neolithic Age, primitive humans began to settle down, and the volume of the human brain suddenly expanded to three times that of modern humans, which is the so-called "encephalization" phenomenon.
Scientists have long been curious about what caused the rapid evolution of the human brainFor a long time, the most accepted saying is that learning to use fire and cooking not only improves the nutritional value of food, but also reduces the pressure on the human digestive system, so that more nutrients can be absorbed and used by the brain.
However, there is also a certain problem with this statement: did our ancient ancestors have a high enough intellectual reserve to harness the "high technology" of fire before they mastered the use of fire?
To this end, Professor Gregor Overf, a biological anthropologist at the University at Buffalo in the United States, recently published a review in the journal Communications Biology, proposing a new hypothesis - fermented food may be the biggest contributor to the "brainization" of human beings!
The skills and cognitive abilities required to consume fermented foods are much lower compared to using fire. Animal foods, such as cured meats and dairy products, in particular, are simple enough to be discovered by accident.
At the same time, these fermented and pickled foods also have similar nutritional and digestive advantages as cooking with fire: they are rich in protein, vitamins, beneficial bacteria, and are more easily absorbed by the body;They can inhibit the activity of antinutrients in food and reduce the burden on the digestive system.
To sum up, Professor Overall believes that primitive human consumption of fermented food is an important driving force for the "brainization" process of human beings. This provides a logical evolutionary mechanism to explain the rapid expansion of the human brain. Professor Overh also called on the scientific community to conduct more empirical research, such as genetic and paleoDNA analysis, to test the new hypothesis.
Today, we learned that the technology of pickling stinky tofu, yogurt, and cheese has also played an important role in the process of human civilizationSimple fermentation inspires great wisdom.