Many Minds
Fermentation, fire, and our big brains
Marko Bremer's AI podcast notes AI-generated based on their snips
AI-generated based on their snips
1. Brain size expansion in humans started around 6 million years ago, with a tripling of brain size over the last 2 million years
2. The expensive tissue hypothesis suggests that the brain is metabolically expensive, leading to potential trade-offs with other tissues like the gut
3. Reducing gut mass may provide extra calories for brain development, impacting how the body processes calories efficiently
4. Possible sources of extra calories for brain growth in early humans include meat-eating, tuber-eating, and offloading fermentation into the external environment
5. External fermentation can break down indigestible starches, make nutrients more bioavailable, and support healthy internal fermentation
6. Comparative studies on fermented, cooked, and raw diets can provide insights into caloric balance, metabolic indicators, and microbiome changes
7. Evolution of preferences for fermented foods in primates could be linked to the external fermentation hypothesis and the early gene for alcohol dehydrogenase
8. Existing apes and primates are attracted to fermented fruit, suggesting a role of fruit consumption in primate evolution and metabolic adaptations
