Since Darwin and The Origin of Man, the evolution and worldwide dispersal of human beings have been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a surprising alternative: Our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory about our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from eating raw food to cooked food was the key factor in human evolution. Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract contracted and the brain grew. Time, once spent chewing raw, hard food, could be spent hunting and tending the camp. Thus, the kitchen became the basis for the union of couples and marriage, created the home and even led to a sexual division of labor. In short, once our ancestors adapted to the use of fire, humanity began. As our ancestors adapted to the use of fire, humans emerged as ...read more