Did Cooking Make Us Human?

Description

The use of heat and utensils to process food may be more than a by-product of human evolution. According to theories presented in this program, cooking began much earlier than previously thought and ignited a series of changes that shaped our physical and mental abilities. Viewers visit South African caves containing evidence, including tools and charred bone material, that pushes back the timescale during which proto-humans began to hunt and tame fire. Meanwhile, several noted anthropologists share other ideas concerning the evolution of the human jaw, stomach, and cranium-asserting that the digestion of cooked meat instead of raw helped our ancestors build bigger brains.

Runtime

52 min

Subjects

Genre

Date of Publication

[2010], c2010

Database

Films on Demand

Direct Link

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