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Study Finds Earliest Evidence of Cooking
A recent study found what could be the earliest known evidence of ancient cooking: the leftovers of a fish dinner from 780,000 years ago.
Cooking helped change our ancestors. It helped fuel our evolution and gave us bigger brains. Later, cooking would become central to the eating celebrations that brought communities together.
The new study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, is based on material from Gesher Benot Ya’aqov in Israel — a watery place near an ancient lake.
Ancient objects from the area suggest it was home to a community of Homo erectus, a kind of early human that walked upright, explained study lead writer Irit Zohar of Tel Aviv University.
Naama Goren-Inbar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem led the research digs. She said researchers found fish remains, especially teeth. Many of the teeth were from two different kinds of fish known as carp.
The remains were found near places where researchers also found signs of fire. Testing showed the teeth had been exposed to temperatures that were hot, but not super-hot. This suggests the fish were cooked low and slow, rather than being put right onto a fire, Zohar explained.
With all the evidence together, researchers concluded that these ancient human relatives had used fire for cooking some 780,000 years ago. That is much earlier than the next oldest evidence for cooking, about 170,000 years ago, which showed Stone Age humans ate cooked roots in South Africa.
Cooking might have started even earlier
The researchers — like many other experts — believe cooking started long before this, even though physical evidence has been hard to find.
“I am sure that in the near future an earlier case will be reported,” study writer Israel Hershkovitz of Tel Aviv University said in an email.
That is in part because using fire for cooking was an important step in humans evolution.
Cooking food makes it easier for the body to digest and get nutrients, explained David Braun of George Washington University. Braun was not involved with the study. When early humans figured out how to cook, they were able to get more energy, which they could use to fuel bigger brains.
Based on how human ancestors’ brains and bodies developed, scientists estimate that cooking skills appeared nearly 2 million years ago.
“If we’re out there eating raw items, it is very difficult to make it as a large-bodied primates,” Braun said.
Those first cooked meals were far different from today’s food. And in the many, many years in between, humans started not just eating for fuel, but for community.
Cooking food to build community
In a 2010 study, led by Natalie Munro of the University of Connecticut, researchers described the earliest evidence of a feast. The feast was a specially prepared meal that people brought together for an event 12,000 years ago in a cave in Israel.
The cave, which served as a burial place, included the remains of one special woman who seemed to be a religious leader for her community, Munro said.
This “first feast” came at an important turning point in human history, right as hunter-gatherers were starting to settle into more permanent living situations, Munro said. Gathering for special meals may have been a way to build community and reduce tensions now that people live closer to each other, he said.
Munro said he believes ancient feasts are served a lot of the same social uses that modern gatherings serve: People exchange information, make connections, or try to improve their position.
“This is something that’s just quintessentially humans,” Munro said. “And to see the first evidence of it is exciting.”
I’m John Russell.
Maddie Burakoff wrote this story for The Associated Press. John Russell adapted the story for Learning English.
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Words in This Story
evolution – n. the process by which changes in plants and animals happen over time
expose — v. to cause (someone) to experience something or to be influenced or affected by something
digest — v. to change (food that you have eaten) with a biological process into simpler forms that can be used by the body
raw – adj. not cooked
primates – n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys
quintessentially – adv. the perfect example of something
Houston lifts boil water notice, confirms tap water is safe to drink
Houston has lifted its boil water notice, two days after a power outage affecting one of the city’s water purification plants raised concerns about contaminants potentially lingering in the main water supply. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality conducted water quality tests while the notice was still in effect, and confirmed that tap water meets regulatory standards, the city of Houston said in a news release.
“Houston Water has taken the necessary corrective actions to restore the quality of the water distributed by this public water system used for drinking water or human consumption purposes,” the city said.
Before returning to normal use, Houston Water customers should first “flush” their home water systems by running faucets on cold for at least one minute, and making and discarding several batches of ice from their automatic ice machines to trigger water treatment softeners through a regeneration cycle, according to the city.
All of Houston’s public schools will remain closed for a second day Tuesday, after which millions of residents were advised to boil their drinking water in the aftermath of a power outage at one of the city’s purification plants.
Houston officials issued a formal boil water notice on Sunday, when the outage caused water pressure at the East Water Purification Plant — which feeds into the city’s main water system, serving about 2.2 million customers — to drop below regulators’ required minimum of 20 PSI. Lower water pressure at the purification plant increases the risk of bacteria and other harmful microbes entering drinking water supplies.
Although Major Sylvester Turner said Monday that water was likely safe to use again, the city’s testing protocols mean its boil water notice will remain in effect until at least Tuesday.
The Houston Independent School District announced building closures shortly after the notice was issued on Sunday evening, and said on Twitter it would continue to monitor the situation. The district said Monday afternoon schools would remain closed Tuesday.
“This decision has been made due to the logistical challenges caused by the notice. Those challenges prevent the district from being able to provide meals for its students and ensure safe water is available for students and staff,” the district wrote on Twitter.
The city issued a news release on Sunday alerting residents to a pressure drop at the purification plant. It is recommended that everyone living in the affected area refrain from drinking tap water without first bringing it to a “vigorous rolling boil” and then allowing it to continue to boil for another two minutes. People should follow this protocol before using the water to brush their teeth, or to wash their hands and face, the city said, noting that people with weakened immune systems are especially susceptible to harmful bacteria that could be present in the water supply.
“To ensure the destruction of all harmful bacteria and other microbes, water for drinking, cooking, and making ice should be boiled and cooled prior to use for drinking water or human consumption purposes,” the boil water notice stated. “In lieu of boiling, individuals may purchase bottled water or obtain water from some other suitable source for drinking water or human consumption purposes.”
Late on Sunday night, Major Turner said that city officials believed the water was safe to use, but regulatory requirements mandated that a boil water notice remains in effect until the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has completed repeat testing on water samples, and confirmed they are not contaminated.
“We believe the water is safe but based on regulatory requirements when the pressure drops below 20 psi we are obligated to issue a boil water notice. The City is submitting its plan to TCEQ for approval tonight,” the mayor tweeted. “Water samples will follow afterward and hopefully we will get all clear from TCEQ. The City has to wait 24 hours from that point before the boil water notice is suspended. The earliest would be tomorrow night or very early Tuesday morning.”
Le Bernardin Named #1 Restaurant In The World By La Liste
Paris-based global restaurant guide names chef Eric Ripert’s New York City icon best in the world as restaurant celebrates 50 years
NEW YORK, Nov. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Le Bernardin was named the number one restaurant in the world by La Listethe global restaurant guide and ranking system of the world’s top 1,000 restaurants.
The top ranking, which Le Bernardin shares with Paris’ Restaurant Guy Savoy and Frantzén of Stockholmcomes on the heels of the New York seafood temple’s 50th anniversary this fall.
Le Bernardin is the only New York City restaurant among the top 10, and one of 101 United States restaurants, including San Francisco’s Atelier Crenn, Addison in San Diego and New York’s Atomix, featured throughout the entire list.
“To see our team’s dedication recognized by La Liste is incredibly rewarding,” said chef and co-owner, Eric Ripert. “It pushes us to keep striving for excellence everyday, even 50 years in.”
This is the sixth consecutive year La Liste has named Le Bernardin the number one restaurant in the US, and the third time it has placed it at the top spot globally. Le Bernardin continues to hold three stars from the Michelin Guide and a four-star rating from The New York Timeswhich has maintained across each of its five reviews since opening in New York in 1986. Le Bernardin is also ranked number 44 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List.
La Liste debuted in Paris in 2015, providing an objective and democratic ranking of the world’s most outstanding restaurants powered by a proprietary algorithm that gathers information from hundreds of reviews from such global publications as The New York TimesMichelin Guide and TripAdvisor, and thousands of consumer ratings from all over the world.
About Le Bernardin
A fine dining icon for 50 years, Le Bernardin is the internationally acclaimed seafood restaurant from chef Eric Ripert and co-owner Maguy Le Coze. Opened in 1986 in New York by Maguy and her brother Gilbert after the siblings helmed their beloved Paris location for 14 years, the restaurant has held three Michelin stars since the guide’s 2005 New York launch, five consecutive four-star reviews from The New York Times, and is currently ranked number 44 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, a testament to its timeless appeal. More info available at le-bernardin.com.
About La Liste
La Liste is an international restaurant ranking system and guide, originally launched in 2015 by president and founder, Philippe Faure. La Liste provides a one-of-a-kind objective ranking of the world’s most outstanding restaurants powered by a proprietary algorithm that reviews restaurants based on over 600 leading food guides, user-generated review sites and global publications. The list reviews nearly 16,000 restaurants, with the result that restaurants are located in 180+ countries, on five continents. More info available at laliste.com.
Contact:
Liz Pierson
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SOURCE Le Bernardin