Category: Evolution

For millennia, our hunter-gatherer ancestors rarely encountered sugar, and when they did, it was typically in small, fiber-rich portions from fruits or honey. Fast-forward to today, and the average American consumes dramatically more added sugar, highlighting a massive disconnect between our biology and our modern diet.

Scientists have determined that blubber is not merely passive fat but a dynamic, specialized tissue integral to marine survival. The evolutionary benefits of blubber are extensive, allowing animals like whales and seals to thrive in some of the most extreme aquatic environments on Earth by insulating them against cold, storing vital energy, and aiding in buoyancy.

By biological definition, an omnivore is an animal that eats both plants and other animals. A scientific examination of human physiology, anatomy, and evolutionary history provides compelling evidence that humans are omnivores, capable of deriving nutrition from a diverse range of plant and animal sources.

According to National Geographic, omnivores demonstrate a flexible eating strategy, consuming both plants and meat depending on what is most readily available. This broad diet is the primary reason why omnivores rarely go hungry, giving them a significant survival advantage over specialized eaters like carnivores and herbivores.

Archaeological evidence, like ancient pottery containing milk fat residues, indicates humans have been consuming dairy products for at least 8,500 years. The question of why did humans start consuming dairy goes back to the advent of farming and the crucial evolutionary and nutritional pressures of that era.

According to extensive research into human physiology and evolutionary history, humans are physiologically omnivores, adapted to consume both plants and animal products. Examining our deep evolutionary past and comparing our anatomy to other species helps answer the compelling question: were humans born to be vegetarians?

For almost 99% of human history, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who ate based on the availability of food, not a schedule. This fact challenges the modern notion that humans are meant to eat multiple times a day, inviting a deeper look into our evolutionary history and biological design to understand the optimal meal frequency for health and well-being.

For millennia, our hunter-gatherer ancestors navigated a world of inconsistent food availability, forcing their bodies to adapt to prolonged periods without eating. This feast-or-famine existence shaped our metabolism, leading many to ask, are humans made for fasting? The answer lies in understanding these evolutionary adaptations and their surprising relevance to modern health.

In a recent study, researchers transplanted gut microbes from large-brained primates into mice, revealing that these microbes boosted the host's energy production for the brain, while those from smaller-brained primates promoted fat storage. This groundbreaking finding suggests that the secret to our big brains might be in our gut, pointing to a profound link between our inner bacteria and human evolution.

While some people believe humans are strictly carnivores due to our history of hunting, our biological classification is a topic of scientific consensus. The proper term for humans who eat both meat and plants is 'omnivore'. This classification is supported by our anatomical features, digestive system, and long evolutionary history of consuming a varied diet.