Is Food What Really Evolved Our Species?

By: Richard Jordan

I found some interesting information while I was looking through some of my old magazines of Scientific American. In a 2008 issue of the magazine, I stumbled upon a very interesting article related to food and cooking. The article was about a researcher who happened to claim he might know the reason why humans evolved the way we did. Richard Wrangham claims he has found evidence to prove that the food our ancestors ate raw would not be enough to feed the hungry brains we have without the usage of cooking in our daily lives. Such a profound point in itself just for the fact that most of the scientific community has already claimed to know how humans have evolved into the beings we know now.

Fire is one of the most basic needs we have in human existence. It has lighted our houses, streets, buildings. It has kept us warm in the cold nights and winter days. It has even fed us the foods we enjoy to this day. Richard Wrangham's idea is based around the use of controlled fire and how and when humans have begun to use it. Richard may only be a biological anthropologist, but he is convinced that this explains the reasons for the developed brains we have. In fact, this theory he argues to be right he just happened to stumble upon one night in thought.

Why is this theory important? Well, because if it is dated far enough back in time, this could be the reason we evolved the way we have. Knowing how we came into existence can help people to understand the human body even better and possibly help us to evolve further. The theory itself helps to explain what has happened to, in particular, grow the brain to its strength and size today.

Evidence supporting this man's claim is in part the fact that many of the raw foods that would've been available to early humans were not able to give the amount of needed calories unless we spent the entire day basically eating. Not only that but he also claims that the food itself is too hard for the human to eat very well which is why we would not get the calories needed. In theory, Wrangham states that we would've had to chew raw meat for 5 to 6 hours per day to get the needed calories needed to sustain life. In essence, the amount of food possibly needed to eat would weigh about 12 pounds. These facts alone postulate that humans may have learned to control fire much earlier than predicted.

The reason many people are against this man's claims is due to the lack of evidence for it. Researchers state in the article that unless more sightings are seen at other sites, the claim won't reach their ears basically. Even without enough good, hard evidence, many people feel this is just what is needed to get the crowd thinking. Even the smallest ripple could cause massive waves, and that may just be what Wrangham's work is showing. If he isn't right, then maybe the work he has done will fuel another to uncover the truth that is still hidden. Perhaps if Wrangham didn't just watch chimpanzees and how they interact, many more people might follow his claim, but as it is currently, people are against him just because this isn't technically his field of study.

While much of this is still controversy, it wouldn't hurt to read a little into this article and others on the subject. Get to know yourself some more. Don't let the complexities of the theories hold you back from learning how you evolved. If proven true, this could explain why people all over the world feel the urge to have a cooked meal every evening as Richard states in his interview with Rachael. Happy hunting for the facts on the origin of yourself and don't forget to look at the video at the end of my blog!

Works Cited Gorman, Rachael Moeller. "Cooking Up Bigger Brains." Scientific American. January 2008. April 2011. HTB2. "Harvard Thinks Big 2010 - Richard Wrangham - 'Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human'." 2010. April 2011 http://vimeo.com/10325384.

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Harvard Thinks Big 2010 - Richard Wrangham - 'Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human' from HTB2 on Vimeo.