Human adaptation to the control of fire

Richard Wrangham,Rachel Carmody

doi:10.1002/evan.20275

Abstract

Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and ReviewsVolume 19, Issue 5 p. 187-199 Article Human adaptation to the control of fire Richard Wrangham, Richard Wrangham wrangham@fas.harvard.edu Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Richard Wrangham is a professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Since 1987 he has directed a study of chimpanzee behavioral ecology in Kibale National Park, Uganda (current co-director, Martin Muller). He is the author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (2009, Basic Books).Search for more papers by this authorRachel Carmody, Rachel Carmody carmody@fas.harvard.edu Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Rachel Carmody is a Ph.D. candidate in Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Her dissertation focuses on the energetic significance of cooking and nonthermal food processing in human evolution and related consequences for modern human nutrition.Search for more papers by this author Richard Wrangham, Richard Wrangham wrangham@fas.harvard.edu Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Richard Wrangham is a professor in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Since 1987 he has directed a study of chimpanzee behavioral ecology in Kibale National Park, Uganda (current co-director, Martin Muller). He is the author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (2009, Basic Books).Search for more papers by this authorRachel Carmody, Rachel Carmody carmody@fas.harvard.edu Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University Rachel Carmody is a Ph.D. candidate in Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Her dissertation focuses on the energetic significance of cooking and nonthermal food processing in human evolution and related consequences for modern human nutrition.Search for more papers by this author First published: 27 October 2010 https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.20275Citations: 164 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume19, Issue5September/October 2010Pages 187-199 RelatedInformation

Highlights

Foraging serves multiple purposes, including obtaining amino acids, vitamins and minerals, but energy gain is consistently found to be the most important criterion for animal foraging decisions because maximization of energy gain tends to have direct consequences for 21 fitness.[3,4]. This assumption has been validated by numerous studies of primates showing that even small increases in net energy gain lead to increases in female reproductive rate and/or offspring 23 survival, e.g. in humans,[5] chimpanzees[6] and baboons.[7]
The apparently softer, more digestible, and higher energy diet of H. erectus are all consistent with the expected effects of cooking
The incidence of foodborne illness in urban societies arising from meat consumption was recently estimated to be 99.98% lower due to cooking than if the same meats were consumed raw, suggesting that meat consumption at current levels would be energetically infeasible without 324 cooking.[11]