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LESSON 1 Bele e@rin
es
READ the article about the relationship between food and the brain. According to
some scientists, what made the brain of early humans grow fast?
The Power of a Hot Meal
The human brain is considerably larger than the brain of most animals. In fact, our
brains have about three times as many neurons! as those of gorillas and chimpanzees.
Scientists believe that the human brain grew faster than the brains of other animals.
Research shows that our brains grew most rapidly about 1.8 million years ago.
Researchers are trying to explain why this happened.
Biological anthropologist? Dr. Richard Wrangham thinks that the brain began to grow
rapidly when humans first learned to cook. Cooking made it easier and faster for humans
to digest food and gain energy for the brain and the body. By contrast, gorillas, chimps, and
other apes continued to eat raw food, which took longer to eat and was harder to process. It
also provided less energy.
Neuroscientist? Suzana Herculano-Houzel supports the cooking theory. One of her
studies looked at the effect of raw food on the body. Her findings showed that a raw-food
diet doesn’t provide enough energy for significant brain growth.
Other scientists wonder if the cooking theory is right. Some of them aren’t sure
whether or not people were cooking over one million years ago. That’s because there
is no evidence of fire being used for food preparation until much later. Scientists also point
out the importance of the greater variety of foods that early humans began to eat, which
included more protein and fat.
Perhaps we will never know exactly what caused the rapid growth of the brain.
However, continuing scientific research brings us closer to the truth all the time.
‘neuron: a cell that sends messages to and from the brain
2biological anthropologist: a scientist who studies the physical and social develooment of humans and animals
Sneuroscientist: a scientist who studies the brain
392 NOUN CLAUSES AND REPORTED SPEECH _
