When Did Early Hominins First Discover Fire?

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Long before the first campfire was lit, early humans may have started as fire foragers, observing naturally occurring blazes and harnessing them for their own needs.

The ability to use fire forever changed the fate of the human race: For starters, it allowed our ancestors to cook foods, which made us much more efficient eaters. Instead of gnawing on nuts and berries all day, we could now cook animal meat, which packs much more of a caloric punch. We also used fire to make more effective weapons and tools. But there’s a lot we don’t know about when humans first encountered fire and its transition into effective, everyday use.

The next step after fire foraging would have been extending fires that were already in existence. This means that these early humans were not only aware of fire, they also learned to use it to their benefit. They may have used it to light a stick or branch, for example, and then ignite their own fire. “They also might have been using charred animal dung as fuel for fires,” says Gowlett.

Once humans started cooking regularly, our gut and teeth morphology began to change to be better suited for cooked foods, according to Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham. Wrangham argues that once humans were living out on the African Savannah instead of in the trees, they learned to eat and cook the foods that were available — tubers underground and meat from animals, both of which are easier to digest when cooked.

 

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I wonder if they used 'Quest for Fire' as a reference.

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