Anthropology

After examining carp remains, researchers claim people who lived 780,000 years ago liked their fish well done



Agence France-Presse
Mon 14 Nov 2022 13.21 EST

Early human ancestors living 780,000 years ago liked their fish well done, Israeli researchers have revealed, in what they said was the earliest evidence of fire being used to cook.

Exactly when our ancestors started cooking has been a matter of controversy among archaeologists because it is difficult to prove that an ancient fireplace was used to prepare food, and not just for warmth.

But the birth of the culinary arts marks an important turning point in human history because, by making food easier to chew and digest, it is believed to have greatly contributed to our eventual expansion across the world.

Previously, the first “definitive evidence” of cooking was by Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens 170,000 years ago, according to a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution on Monday.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/nov/14/fish-fossils-show-first-cooking-may-have-been-600000-years-earlier-than-thought#_=_