Since the beginning of our existence, obtaining food has been one of the most important activities of mankind. Research using new methods for examining and analyzing human fossils reveals previously unknown facets of prehistoric man by the modern men. The results demonstrate the central role that food plays in the anatomical, genetic and social evolution of humans.
Until the beginning of agriculture in the Neolithic period, the first humans fed on what nature provided for them. Before human started to domesticate plants and animald their diet shaped their evolution and humanity as we know it today, and some effects are still visible.
This two-part documentary invites whoever watch it on a journey into the past and shows the complexity and diversity of prehistoric life based on scientific findings from around the world. Suzana Herculano-Houzel explains how the cooking of food influenced the mental performance of early humans and Delphine Vettese from the Natural History Museum in Paris shows how cutting techniques for mincing meat and scraping out bone marrow were passed down from generation to generation. João Zilhão and Ernestina Badal present the results of their research into prehistoric food remains.
From archaeological sites in the Dordogne to Portugal, the USA and Jordan, this part of the documentary shows spectacular images of caves, semi-caves and other prehistoric sites in nature and you should watch if carefully if you want to find out more - you may decide better how to eat. Not raw meat or something that only our ancestors ate, just better.
