On Thu, 26 Jun 2003, Judy Denham wrote:

> One relevant topic to our list is the opinion of some researchers that Homo
> erectus began cooking food perhaps 1.8 million years ago and that the
> cooking of starchy tubers increased their energy content and enabled the
> species to develop larger brains.

That's a bunch of poo poo IMHO.

If the theory that eating starchy tubers increases brain size, then
naturally horses and cows should be highly intelligent. The most
ingelligent animals seem to be meat eaters (i.e. dolphins, orcas,
chimpanzees, the naked ape). I'm dumbfounded by the wit and savvy of my
own dog.

Carbohydrate energy is short lived compared to protein energy. I like the
analogy that someone mentioned to me once. Eating carbohydrates is like
throwing paper or kindling on a fire (high energy but short lived). Eating
protein is like burning a log (not as bursty but longer lived). I think
it's that slow burning protein that sustains our bulbous brains.

The one animal that is highly impressed by the intelligence of humans, is
of course humans. I'm not sure other animals are so impressed. From an
evolutionary perspective I like to think of our intelligence as simply a
defense mechanism. The rattlesnake spits venom, the turtle withdraws in to
it's shell, the porcupine warns you with it's sharp quills, the rabbit
darts off like a bullet.

The naked, frail homo sapiens has no poison, no fangs, no protective
exoskeleton and we're pretty darn slow. It's up to our trusty cerebral
cortex to save the day!

The process of acquiring meat is a dangerous venture, we had to take that
risk for a pretty darn good reason (not just because it tastes good). The
safe route would have been to stay in the highest trees foraging on fruits
and leaves.

2 cents allocated,
Craig

From the point of view of a tapeworm, man was created by God to serve the
appetite of the tapeworm. -Ed Abbey