The Drawbacks of Discovering Fire

The discovery of fire has always been looked at as such an amazing innovation. It was used for, warmth, light, and protection. It has been used for cooking and to keep the evenings and nights longer. It gave growth to more socializing. Although this discovery brought many benefits, it also brought some cons. Occasionally, the smoke from the fire burned eyes and seared lungs. Most of the food was coated with char, which could have led to increased risk for cancer. Recently, scientists have identified a genetic mutation in modern humans that allows certain toxins, included those found in smoke, to be metabolized at a safe rate. The same genetic sequence was not found in other primates. Researchers believe that the mutation arose in response to breathing in smoke toxins. A speculation from Gary Perdew, a professor of toxicology at Penn State, states that having this mutation gave humans the edge over Neanderthals. That it might have been one way that modern humans inured some adverse effects from fire, while other species did not. One example is the study of acrylamide, a compound formed in foods during baking, frying or other high temperature cooking. When given to lab animals in high dosages, it led to cancer. However, human studies have failed to link dietary acrylamide to cancer. Dr. Tanaka, a biologist in the University of New South Wales in Australia, believed that fire helped spread airborne diseases such as tuberculosis. Dr. Tanaka states that, “Fire, as a technological advantage, has been a double edged sword.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/09/science/fire-smoke-evolution-tuberculosis.html?rref=collection%2Fcolumn%2Ftrilobites&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/371/1696/20150164