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Well, regardless of the topic at hand (the point about brain-size shrinking when eating plants certainly sounds interesting), already the infographics are full

Well, regardless of the topic at hand (the point about brain-size shrinking when eating plants certainly sounds interesting), already the infographics are full of obvious typos ("Domesticsted", "Larg prey") which suggests shoddy editing at least. While that made me chuckle a bit in the context of "brain size" it also leads me to not giving to much credence to the quality of the rest of the text (which I cannot really judge on its merits because it's outside my area of expertise). I do tend to refer to the Gell-Mann effect [1] in instances such as this though... However, if there's anyone here who has expertise in this area, I would certainly be very interested to hear what they think. Let me ask more plainly: Should we all ditch salad and go back to eating "bone marrow and brains" tomorrow? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Mann_amnesia_effect

danr4 6y ago
I'd be very surprised if there was one answer to "what should humans eat?". It probably depends on so many factors unknown to scientists, that the best way is to just try different diets until you feel good.
mkoubaa 6y ago
I didn't see brain size linked directly to diet here, only saw it on the infographic. In another study recently, I saw brain size linked to the challenge of hunting large animals (like cave bears and mammoths)
- elliekelly 6y ago
  That’s interesting because I’ve also read that animal brain size is positively correlated with group communication and social network size. In order for early humans to successfully hunt large animals, especially large predators, I would imagine it would take quite a lot of group communication and coordination.
Daho0n 6y ago
I think the answer is pretty simple: we should eat varied and follow the seasons. That many get pretty sick by going into ketosis shows how unhealthy we are. A healthy human can switch between a diet with lots of carbohydrates and one with few without problems. I'd posit that more than 99% of humans cannot switch between fat burning and glucose burning without getting sick because of withdrawal symptoms.
samatman 6y ago
I'll be skipping the brains, personally. Prion disease is among the more terrifying of the many horrors which biology has made a part of the human condition. Marrow is excellent eating, and the only reason I wouldn't encourage people to eat more of it is because I want to be able to afford it.
- cassianoleal 6y ago
  > Marrow is excellent eating Osso buco on rice brings back so many childhood memories! Absolutely delicious and increadibly nutritious!

danr4 6y ago

I'd be very surprised if there was one answer to "what should humans eat?". It probably depends on so many factors unknown to scientists, that the best way is to just try different diets until you feel good.

mkoubaa 6y ago

I didn't see brain size linked directly to diet here, only saw it on the infographic. In another study recently, I saw brain size linked to the challenge of hunting large animals (like cave bears and mammoths)

elliekelly 6y ago
That’s interesting because I’ve also read that animal brain size is positively correlated with group communication and social network size. In order for early humans to successfully hunt large animals, especially large predators, I would imagine it would take quite a lot of group communication and coordination.

Daho0n 6y ago

I think the answer is pretty simple: we should eat varied and follow the seasons. That many get pretty sick by going into ketosis shows how unhealthy we are. A healthy human can switch between a diet with lots of carbohydrates and one with few without problems. I'd posit that more than 99% of humans cannot switch between fat burning and glucose burning without getting sick because of withdrawal symptoms.

samatman 6y ago

I'll be skipping the brains, personally. Prion disease is among the more terrifying of the many horrors which biology has made a part of the human condition. Marrow is excellent eating, and the only reason I wouldn't encourage people to eat more of it is because I want to be able to afford it.

cassianoleal 6y ago
> Marrow is excellent eating Osso buco on rice brings back so many childhood memories! Absolutely delicious and increadibly nutritious!