[1] It has long been a fascinating puzzle to scientists: Why
did our apelike ancestors come down from the trees and
develop brains many times larger than they actually needed?
[4] Many theories have been discussed, most of which revolve
around social cooperation; big brains would have helped our
ancestors develop language, make better tools, plan hunting
[7] strategies, and pass on complex culture to the next generation.
However, some scientists have pointed out that other
animals — chimpanzees and crows, for example — are also
[10] able to make and use tools, can communicate adequately to suit
their purposes, and live within a matrix of socially intricate
relationships. Yet these animals do not possess the enormous
[13] brains that humans do, relative to their body size. Therefore,
some other factor must have led to our runaway brain growth,
and ∈ his 2009 book Catching Fire, biological anthropologist
[16] Richard Wranghamm makes a case for cooking. It is not
currently known when early hominids began controlling fire
and the first discovery of fire was likely accidental.
[19] While it is unclear whether these early fires were used
to cook food, fire would have kept predators at bay, allowing
our vulnerable ancestors to sleep on the ground, rather than ∈
[22] trees as other apes do. This ground living could explain some
of the anatomical changes early hominids eventually
underwent, such as the loss of climbing efficiency, and the
[25] lengthening of the legs and flattening of the feet, which
facilitated upright walking.
Internet: www.suite101.com (adapted)
Based on the text, it can be deduced that
not only would fire have driven away our predators, but it would also have helped the advent of Homo erectus.
