Horizon Season 2010 Episode 7 Did Cooking Make Us Human?

In the Horizon season 2010 episode 7 titled "Did Cooking Make Us Human?", the show explores the theory that humans' ability to cook played a pivotal role in our evolution as a species. The episode delves into the science behind cooking and how it allowed our ancestors to access more nutrients, leading to larger brains and ultimately, the development of language and culture.

The episode begins by introducing the idea that cooking was a game-changer in human evolution. We see interviews with archaeologists and anthropologists who point out that no other species cooks their food, proving how cooking is unique to humans. We also see footage of chimpanzees foraging and eating raw food in the wild, highlighting the stark contrast between animal and human diets.

Next, the show explores how cooking makes food easier to digest, allowing our bodies to extract more nutrients. We learn that by cooking meat, we can break down the tough collagen fibers, making it easier to chew and digest. We see an experiment where a group of people are given raw meat and cooked meat, and the cooked meat is shown to be much easier to chew and digest.

The episode also discusses how cooking affects the types of food we can eat. We see how cooking starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, breaks down their cell walls, making them easier to digest. This allowed our ancestors to access a new source of carbohydrates, giving them more energy to fuel their expanding brains.

As the episode progresses, we learn how cooking allowed our ancestors to spend less time on food preparation, freeing up time for other activities. By using fire to cook, our ancestors could also stay warm at night, leading to less time spent huddling in the cold and more time spent crafting tools and developing language.

We see evidence of the link between cooking and human evolution in the archaeological record. The show features several digs where ancient cooking sites have been discovered. The sites contain tools used to prepare food, as well as bones of animals that were clearly cooked over a fire.

Finally, the episode touches on the cultural significance of cooking. We see how food preparation became a societal activity, with people gathering around the fire to cook and eat together. This led to the development of social norms, as people learned to share and cooperate.

In conclusion, Horizon's "Did Cooking Make Us Human?" makes a compelling case for the role of cooking in human evolution. The show combines scientific research with archaeological evidence to demonstrate how cooking allowed our ancestors to access more nutrients and spend less time on food preparation. Ultimately, this led to the development of larger brains and the birth of language and culture. The episode concludes by pointing out how cooking is still a fundamental part of human society, and how it continues to shape our lives today.