Fermenting food, which uses microbes to break down and preserve it, could have provided our ancestors with a more readily available and calorie-dense food source.
This additional energy might have freed up resources in the digestive system, allowing for the brain to evolve and grow larger.
Additionally, fermented foods are rich in B vitamins and other nutrients essential for brain development.
The article mentions that the development of fermentation technology coincides with a significant increase in brain size in hominids.
Fermented foods are known to be beneficial for gut health and may even influence brain development through the gut-brain axis.
Understanding the role of food preservation in human evolution could provide valuable insights into the development of the brain and the impact of diet on cognitive functions.
This research could also have implications for developing new dietary strategies to optimize brain health and cognitive performance.
The article acknowledges that this is a hypothesis and further research is needed to confirm the link between fermentation and brain growth.
Other factors, such as changes in social behavior and tool use, likely also played a role in human brain evolution.
Other factors, such as changes in social behavior and tool use, likely also played a role in human brain evolution.