The volume and performance of the modern human brain is the result of a long evolutionary process, one of the critical stages of which was the "discovery" of fruit, according to research published today in the scientific journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
After realizing where fruits grow and how they can be eaten, some primates made a "growth leap" in increasing their brain size, say US scientists.
"Thanks to this we have grown our brains with incredible volume," said Alex Dikassien, a researcher at New York University and one of the authors of the article.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists studied the favorite foods of more than 140 primates.
They found that those who preferred fruit had brains 25% larger than those restricted to a leafy diet.
These conclusions call into question a theory of the 1990s, according to which what contributed to the increase in brain size was the "social relations" which in the primates are particularly complex. In order for an animal to have social relationships, to survive and reproduce it needs to understand its environment and other primates, which leads to brain development.
Dicasien did not reject this theory, but said she was convinced that the decisive factor was the introduction into the diet of fruit, a source of sugar and energy that simple leaves do not give. Brain development may be necessary for survival, but it also has significant metabolic costs: it requires more energy, which the body must receive from somewhere.
"They say that the brain is 2% of our body weight but consumes 25% of our energy," he reminded.
Source RES-EIA