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Study Finds Earliest Evidence of Cooking

时间:2022-12-02 00:14:04

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Study Finds Earliest Evidence of Cooking

A recent study found what could be the earliest known evidence of ancient cooking: the leftovers1 of a fish dinner from 780,000 years ago.

Cooking helped change our ancestors. It helped fuel our evolution and gave us bigger brains. Later, cooking would become central to the eating celebrations that brought communities together.

The new study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, is based on material from Gesher Benot Ya'aqov in Israel — a watery2 place near an ancient lake.

Ancient objects from the area suggest it was home to a community of Homo erectus, a kind of early human that walked upright3, explained study lead writer Irit Zohar of Tel Aviv University.

Naama Goren-Inbar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led the research digs. She said researchers found fish remains4, especially teeth. Many of the teeth were from two different kinds of fish known as carp.

The remains were found near places where researchers also found signs of fire. Testing showed the teeth had been exposed to temperatures that were hot, but not super-hot. This suggests the fish were cooked low and slow, rather than being put right onto a fire, Zohar explained.

With all the evidence together, researchers concluded that these ancient human relatives had used fire for cooking some 780,000 years ago. That is much earlier than the next oldest evidence for cooking, about 170,000 years ago, which showed Stone Age humans ate cooked roots in South Africa.

Cooking might have started even earlier

The researchers — like many other experts — believe cooking started long before this, though physical evidence has been hard to find.

"I am sure that in the near future an earlier case will be reported," study writer Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University said in an email.

That is in part because using fire for cooking was an important step in human evolution.

Cooking food makes it easier for the body to digest and get nutrients6, explained David Braun of George Washington University. Braun was not involved with the study. When early humans figured out how to cook, they were able to get more energy, which they could use to fuel bigger brains.

Based on how human ancestors' brains and bodies developed, scientists estimate7 that cooking skills appeared nearly 2 million years ago.

"If we're out there eating raw items, it is very difficult to make it as a large-bodied primate8," Braun said.

Those first cooked meals were far different from today's food. And in the many, many years in between, humans started not just eating for fuel, but for community.

Cooking food to build community

In a 2010 study, led by Natalie Munro of the University of Connecticut, researchers described the earliest evidence of a feast9. The feast was a specially5 prepared meal that brought people together for an event 12,000 years ago in a cave in Israel.

The cave, which served as a burial place, included the remains of one special woman who seemed to be a religious leader for her community, Munro said.

This "first feast" came at an important turning point in human history, right as hunter-gatherers were starting to settle into more permanent living situations, Munro said. Gathering10 for special meals may have been a way to build community and reduce tensions11 now that people lived closer to each other, she said.

Munro said she believes ancient feasts12 served a lot of the same social uses that modern gatherings13 serve: People exchange information, make connections, or try to improve their position.

"This is something that's just quintessentially human," Munro said. "And to see the first evidence of it is exciting."

Words in This Story

evolution – n. the process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time

expose -- v. to cause (someone) to experience something or to be influenced or affected14 by something

digest -- v. to change (food that you have eaten) by a biological process into simpler forms that can be used by the body

raw – adj. not cooked

primate – n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys

quintessentially – adv. the perfect example of something


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1 leftovers AprzGJ     
n.剩余物,残留物,剩菜
参考例句:
  • He can do miracles with a few kitchen leftovers.他能用厨房里几样剩饭做出一顿美餐。
  • She made supper from leftovers she had thrown together.她用吃剩的食物拼凑成一顿晚饭。
2 watery bU5zW     
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的
参考例句:
  • In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
  • Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏,她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。
3 upright 0jcwK     
adj.直立的;正直的;adv.挺直着,竖立着
参考例句:
  • He stood himself upright.他笔直地站着。
  • An upright man is respectable.正直的人是值得尊敬的。
4 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
5 specially Hviwq     
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地
参考例句:
  • They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
  • The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。
6 nutrients 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607     
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 estimate Ti4zb     
n.估计,估量;评价,看法;vt.估计,估量
参考例句:
  • We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
  • The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at $200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。
8 primate A1YzI     
n.灵长类(目)动物,首席主教;adj.首要的
参考例句:
  • 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
  • The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。
9 feast tkixp     
n.盛宴,筵席,节日
参考例句:
  • After the feast she spent a week dieting to salve her conscience.大吃了一顿之后,她花了一周时间节食以安慰自己。
  • You shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare such a feast!你不该准备这样丰盛的饭菜,这样太麻烦你了!
10 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
11 tensions 876f4296a96e48a64445ce629ed4b7b0     
(情绪上的)紧张( tension的名词复数 ); 张力; 紧张的状态; (作家或电影导演制造的)紧张气氛
参考例句:
  • Social tensions were manifested in the recent political crisis. 最近的政治危机显示了社会关系的紧张。
  • These disagreements are symptomatic of the tensions within the party. 出现意见分歧表明该党内部的关系紧张。
12 feasts c315ac6e1080248b83a4129fe3d53e7d     
n.盛会( feast的名词复数 );宴会;宗教节日;使人欢快的事物(或活动)
参考例句:
  • There were feasts and drinking and singing by the bards. 他们欢宴狂饮,还有吟游诗人的歌唱作伴助兴。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
  • The fruit was often served at wedding feasts. 婚宴上经常有水果供应。 来自辞典例句
13 gatherings 400b026348cc2270e0046708acff2352     
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
参考例句:
  • His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
  • During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
14 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

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