L. Attwell
Fire in the Plio-Pleistocene: The functions of hominin fire use, and the mechanistic, developmental and evolutionary consequences
Attwell, L.; Kovarovic, K.; Kendal, J.R.
Authors
Dr Kris Fire Kovarovic kris.kovarovic@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Dr Jeremy Kendal jeremy.kendal@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor
Abstract
Fire is a powerful natural force that can change landscapes extremely quickly. Hominins have harnessed this resource for their own purposes, with mechanistic and developmental physiological consequences. In addition, the use of fire has niche constructive effects, altering selective environments for genetic and cultural evolution. We review the record for hominin fire use in the Plio-Pleistocene, before considering the various functions for its use, and the resultant mechanistic and developmental consequences. We also adopt the niche construction framework to consider how the use of fire can modify selective environments, and thus have evolutionary consequences at genetic and cultural levels. The light that fire produces may influence photoperiodicity and alter hormonally-controlled bodily rhythms. Fire used for cooking could have extended the range of foods hominins were able to consume, and reduced digestion costs. This may have contributed to the expansion of the hominin brain and facial anatomy, influenced by a higher quality cooked diet. Fire may also have allowed dispersal into northern areas with much cooler climates than the hominin African origin, posing novel problems that affected diet and social behaviours.
Citation
Attwell, L., Kovarovic, K., & Kendal, J. (2015). Fire in the Plio-Pleistocene: The functions of hominin fire use, and the mechanistic, developmental and evolutionary consequences. Journal of Anthropological Sciences, 93, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.4436/jass.93006
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Acceptance Date | Jan 29, 2015 |
Online Publication Date | Jun 20, 2015 |
Publication Date | Jan 1, 2015 |
Deposit Date | Feb 4, 2015 |
Publicly Available Date | Mar 16, 2016 |
Journal | Journal of Anthropological Sciences |
Electronic ISSN | 1827-4765 |
Publisher | Istituto Italiano di Antropologia |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 93 |
Pages | 1-20 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.4436/jass.93006 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1437120 |
Publisher URL | http://www.isita-org.com/jass/Contents/ContentsVol93.htm |
Files
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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Copyright Statement
This paper is available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Unported License.
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