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Evolutionary Anthropology (METABOLISM) with Herman Pontzer
Ologies with Alie Ward
The Impact of Changing Diets and Food Manipulation on Population Growth
Changing from a diverse hunter-gatherer diet to a more carb-heavy farming diet led to a narrower food selection but higher energy per bite. Farming allowed for the manipulation of animals and plants to increase energy output. The increase in available calories led to population explosions as calories were converted into babies. However, closer living quarters in villages increased exposure to contagious diseases, resulting in shorter individuals due to prolonged sickness in childhood. The new diet enabled the species to have more babies earlier by feeding them grainy mush sooner, leading to shorter breastfeeding periods and increased fertility, ultimately contributing to population growth. The success brought by the changing diet led to population growth until it led to negative consequences when populations became too dense.
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