Eating insects help the human brain evolve?

Nourished with a nutritious diet like ants, snails and bugs can stimulate growth towards a larger brain, taking on higher cognitive functions in prehistoric humans and other primates. .

'Challenges related to finding food have long been thought to be an important condition in shaping brain evolution and cognitive function in primates, including humans', according to Phys. .org quoted team leader Amanda D Melin of Washington University (USA).

The results of the Melin study show that the need to eat insects when the source of food is scarce can contribute to the hominid species cognitive evolution and establish the foundation for the use of modern tools in species people.

Based on the results of a five-year monkey study in Costa Rica, the report provides evidence to support the theory of evolution that relates to the development of sensor and motor skills - such as the skill of hands. , use tools and ability to solve problems by making initiatives - with challenges coming from finding and exploiting insect food sources.

This is also the first study to provide detailed evidence that changes in the supply of food due to weather and crops affect the eating patterns in monkeys in the wild.

The study also found that many population groups around the world often eat insects on a seasonal basis and think that this habit plays a key role in the evolution of humans.