Image from Hands Cave, World Heritage in Patagonia.
Carnivory is behind the evolutionary success of humankind. When early
humans started to eat meat and eventually hunt, their new,
higher-quality diet meant that women could wean their children earlier.
Women could then give birth to more children during their reproductive
life, which is a possible contribution to the population gradually
spreading over the world. The connection between eating meat and a
faster weaning process is shown by a research group from Lund University
in Sweden, which compared close to 70 mammalian species and found clear
patterns.
Learning to hunt was a decisive step in human evolution. Hunting
necessitated communication, planning and the use of tools, all of which
demanded a larger brain. At the same time, adding meat to the diet made
it possible to develop this larger brain.
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