Ancient Tale of Carbohydrates: A Key to Our Brain Size?

Did you know that our fondness for carbs has deep roots, possibly dating back to a time before humans even existed? Scientists from the University of Buffalo have found that our ability to digest carbs might be a bigger deal than we thought. They explored the ancient gene AMY1, which helps break down starchy foods in our mouths, and discovered something surprising.

It turns out that our ancestors had multiple copies of this gene much earlier than anyone guessed—about 800, 000 years ago! That’s way before anything like agriculture or humans leaving Africa. Isn't that crazy? Plus, there was another spike in this gene around 12, 000 years ago when farming became a thing. This discovery has scientists wondering about our early diets and how our brains got so big. They always thought it was all about meat, but maybe carbs deserve more credit. After all, carbs provide a lot of energy, and our brains need a lot of that to grow.

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