The Risky Paleo Diets of Our Ancestors

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  • čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
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    Our Human Evolution Learning Playlist: • Human Evolution Learni...
    We can track our history of eating just about anything back through the fossil record and see the impact it’s had on our evolution. Throughout time, part of the secret to our success as a species has been our early - and sometimes fatal - experimentation with food.
    Special thanks to Jack Byrley ( / bedupolker , Fabrizio de Rossi ( / artoffabricious ) and Julio Lacerda ( / juliotheartist ) for providing us with excellent illustrations for this episode!
    Additionally, big thanks to Carol Ward for providing us with images of KNM-ER 1808 for this episode! www.wardlab.net
    Produced in collaboration with PBS Digital Studios: / pbsdigitalstudios
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Komentáře • 2,9K

  • @carissstewart3211
    @carissstewart3211 Před 4 lety +9471

    Modern humans: "to be healthy we should eat like our paleolithic ancestors did."
    Paleolithic humans: "Will this kill me? I'll risk it."

    • @GenghisVern
      @GenghisVern Před 4 lety +230

      You first, then we'll see

    • @ugoeze7360
      @ugoeze7360 Před 4 lety +578

      the first hominid who saw a random mushroom: “I’m hungry and I don’t what that is. But hey, 🤷‍♂️you only live once” ....
      *dies*
      Blessed be the these original culinary thrill-seekers; for without them, we’d never eventually discovered portobello.

    • @Argentvs
      @Argentvs Před 4 lety +260

      They actually ate little of them, and tried more later that day if it didn't make them sick. Pretty much you are told to do that on survival emergencies.

    • @HellDiverFails
      @HellDiverFails Před 4 lety +42

      Covid-19 came from eating bats!!!!! Dur dur

    • @Argentvs
      @Argentvs Před 4 lety +101

      @@HellDiverFails Myth, WHO linked it probably to farm animals. Bats are the original host, it passed to pigs and humans got it from them.

  • @grantingtherant1465
    @grantingtherant1465 Před 4 lety +3958

    It's not a real paleo diet unless you nearly fall out of a tree or get your leg snapped off by a croc

    • @Caun-88
      @Caun-88 Před 4 lety +150

      Not doing legit paleo if you are not willing to make some grass, half rotten gazelle leg chunk and two teaspoons of raw honey your meal for the day

    • @HellDiverFails
      @HellDiverFails Před 4 lety +41

      Talk about weight loss

    • @charlier7571
      @charlier7571 Před 4 lety +10

      Granting the Rant y’all are too funny lmao. This thread 👌🏽

    • @thebigpicture2032
      @thebigpicture2032 Před 4 lety +56

      Not real paleo unless you chase it for miles, nearly exhausting yourself before the kill.

    • @grubbybum3614
      @grubbybum3614 Před 4 lety +17

      Which is an everyday experience climbing an avocado tree in northern Australia...

  • @emmabarlow7284
    @emmabarlow7284 Před 4 lety +1458

    the Human Motto: "This might kill me, but not if i digest it first."

    • @fezak9285
      @fezak9285 Před 3 lety +6

      XD

    • @konoduwangda129
      @konoduwangda129 Před 3 lety +15

      Huh, like pineapples!

    • @neolexiousneolexian6079
      @neolexiousneolexian6079 Před 3 lety +13

      *The Omnivore Motto.

    • @neolexiousneolexian6079
      @neolexiousneolexian6079 Před 3 lety +43

      Terrifying, right? You're something out of a horror story. The megafauna of entire continents have died to feed your hunger. Entire species have been bred into slavery. You're the All-Consuming Swarm.

    • @sebastianc2222
      @sebastianc2222 Před 3 lety +9

      @@neolexiousneolexian6079 Yeah we are awesome

  • @sarahmartinez6203
    @sarahmartinez6203 Před rokem +180

    I’m learning so much from this CZcams channel. I was homeschooled by a deeply Christian mother who believes the earth is 7000 years old. I’m grateful I can learn as an adult.

    • @ledocteurgonzo
      @ledocteurgonzo Před 5 měsíci +2

      what is your nationality ?

    • @Yinon776
      @Yinon776 Před 3 měsíci +2

      ​@@ledocteurgonzoProbably American.

    • @Krankenwagen571
      @Krankenwagen571 Před 2 měsíci +3

      ​@@ledocteurgonzo clearly hispanic

    • @EL6166
      @EL6166 Před měsícem

      Danm she wrong for hiding the truth about science from u

  • @cas126
    @cas126 Před 4 lety +5939

    Pour one out for the millions of early homies who jumped on the prehistoric barbed wire of food tasting so the rest of us could cross over.

    • @lombardo141
      @lombardo141 Před 4 lety +74

      Cas very underrated comment. 👏👏👏

    • @coltonrobinson4255
      @coltonrobinson4255 Před 4 lety +121

      Not to mention medical remedies too!

    • @Sergio-fu7mv
      @Sergio-fu7mv Před 4 lety +19

      🍺⤵️

    • @JL12997
      @JL12997 Před 4 lety +2

      Funny 🤣🤣

    • @PikaQPika
      @PikaQPika Před 4 lety +90

      but imagine what it would've been like to accidently bite a watermelon or strawberry for the first time ever after eating leaves for so long LOL

  • @Weirdoid
    @Weirdoid Před 4 lety +5734

    People who endorse paleo diets rarely mention to paleo exercise regimen of chasing down your prey and hoping it doesn’t attack you.

    • @YagamiKou
      @YagamiKou Před 4 lety +681

      also, the very real chance u could go *days* without eating

    • @Timodj13
      @Timodj13 Před 4 lety +139

      Joshua Jarvis that’s the thrill!

    • @Burn_Angel
      @Burn_Angel Před 4 lety +323

      It's not about hoping it doesn't attack you, it's about hoping all the wound you get from it attacking you don't kill you nor incapacitate you from hunting again, or, at the very least, don't stop you from killing and eating the thing.

    • @k.umquat8604
      @k.umquat8604 Před 4 lety +22

      @@gasdive r/wooosh

    • @rkbkirin5975
      @rkbkirin5975 Před 4 lety +142

      Yup, sometime going days without eating was probably a regular occurrence, esp. in the winter months.
      That's what you call some HARDCORE intermittent fasting lol

  • @Otakugatothequeen
    @Otakugatothequeen Před 4 lety +1661

    Humans nowadays: "Ew, there's a fly in my soup!"
    Humans a million years ago: "YUUUUUUS, A FLY! Gotta love that crunch!"

    • @WireMosasaur
      @WireMosasaur Před 4 lety +287

      Dads in all eras of human history: "It's extra protein!"

    • @Otakugatothequeen
      @Otakugatothequeen Před 4 lety +25

      @@WireMosasaur haha yes 😂👌

    • @lemonboy9yearsago760
      @lemonboy9yearsago760 Před 3 lety +44

      Yeah when i order soup and see a fly ill just say thank you for the extra toppings

    • @A.Martin
      @A.Martin Před 3 lety +14

      Many areas of the world still have pests in their foods, Like weevils in grain. You remove as much as you can down to where you can manage to eat the food. The ones left are just extra protein :P

    • @mokkaveli
      @mokkaveli Před 3 lety +16

      @@A.Martin apparently on average everyone accidentally eats about 2 pounds of insects a year

  • @OF01975
    @OF01975 Před 4 lety +1028

    0:10
    “Today she is known as KMN-ER-1808”
    Was she named by Elon musk or something?

  • @eyeroll5403
    @eyeroll5403 Před 4 lety +2580

    The crazy part in the poisoned homo erectus story is that someone cared for her for months, since there's evidence of bone growth. In those perilous times, 1.6 million years ago, someone cared for their sick mama.

    • @dzerres
      @dzerres Před 4 lety +267

      socialists

    • @KuK137
      @KuK137 Před 4 lety +297

      I like how homo erectus were more developed morally and socially than half of humans today. It's sad to think brainwashed right wingers wouldn't care for their families like our ancestors did but actively push them off cliff for for being "freeloaders" or the sake of "economy" or hell, even haircuts (see these morons protesting life saving measures in USA today...)

    • @radtech21
      @radtech21 Před 4 lety +391

      Humans cannot survive individually out in the wild, so a cooperative effort is required for our survival. This is so ingrained into our genes that humans feel uncomfortable, anxious, and even depressed when we are asked to stay at home or to keep a distance from others. It is hard wired into each of us to care for each other.

    • @MrAranton
      @MrAranton Před 4 lety +240

      @@dzerres You correctly named the trait that allowed homo errectus to advance into what would eventually become modern humans.

    • @Taydiablo3
      @Taydiablo3 Před 4 lety +11

      😭😭 so sad.

  • @MastaChafa
    @MastaChafa Před 4 lety +2839

    Paleo diet: imagine being an ancient hominid and being your turn to try a new plant to see if the rest of the tribe can eat it too.

    • @fezak9285
      @fezak9285 Před 3 lety +185

      *sweats intensifies*

    • @temujoe
      @temujoe Před 3 lety +74

      You probably started with just a nibble 🙂

    • @DavidKutzler
      @DavidKutzler Před 3 lety +160

      Kid #1: It's a new food. It's supposed to be good for you. You wanna try it?
      Kid #2: I'm not gonna try it! You try it!
      Kid #1: Let's give it to Mikey, he'll eat anything!
      Both Kids: Look Mikey's eating it! He likes it!

    • @Amanishakheto
      @Amanishakheto Před 3 lety +11

      I'm sure Ringo Starr can relate.😂

    • @habibishapur
      @habibishapur Před 3 lety +182

      There is a very rigorous method that is even used by survivalists today which involves gradual exposure to the plant. It takes weeks and at the start you dont even eat it. I dont remember the exact details but its something like: at first you just smell it, then you touch it, then you lick your finger after touching it, and so on, with days between each of these incremental exposures to allow for any effects to show. This means that more often than not if theres any adverse effects you will experience them before you come into contact with enough substance to really hurt you. No doubt our ancestors had figured this out before we were even homo sapiens.

  • @MemphiStig
    @MemphiStig Před 3 lety +132

    early hominid A: "hey you can't eat that"
    early hominid B: "hold my spear"

  • @monikakavaliunaite8017
    @monikakavaliunaite8017 Před 4 lety +130

    Ancient humans : *finds any kind of lifeforms*
    Ancient humans : IMMA PUT IT IN MY MOUTH

    • @Theelderscrolls52
      @Theelderscrolls52 Před 3 lety +4

      My toddler.....

    • @Noname-67
      @Noname-67 Před 3 lety +2

      @@Theelderscrolls52 toddler would put things that aren't lifeform

  • @Malgorbia
    @Malgorbia Před 4 lety +2879

    Humans: “is it friend?”
    No??
    Humans: “than it is food.”

    • @muhammadaryawicaksono4232
      @muhammadaryawicaksono4232 Před 4 lety +215

      Smh my head, even a homo erectus would know that it is "THEN"

    • @dennycote6339
      @dennycote6339 Před 4 lety +57

      Fish are friends...not food!

    • @rooseveltbrentwood9654
      @rooseveltbrentwood9654 Před 4 lety +19

      denny cote the fish disagree

    • @someguy2135
      @someguy2135 Před 4 lety +19

      @@dennycote6339 Found the vegan. I guess it takes one to know one. Our ancestors had to eat whatever they could find. We don't have to. We can eat foods that reflect our compassion, and is better for the environment, and is better for our long term vitality and longevity. A whole food plant based vegan diet.

    • @Burn_Angel
      @Burn_Angel Před 4 lety +79

      Some Guy You clearly didn't get the Finding Nemo reference.

  • @Carlton-B
    @Carlton-B Před 4 lety +1851

    "Alright, Tribe, we need to expand our food supply, so we can continue to evolve, so we are going to do a controlled study to find out if lion liver is edible. Glog, Slogg, and Thag, Jr., you will eat you fill of lion liver once a day, every day, for a week. Blagg, Doodagg, and Bob, you will be the control group and eat nothing but the usual berries, elephant dung, and dirt. Two months after the week of eating livers, we will see just who survives and who dies. Remember, whoever survives, we won't determine if lion liver is safe until I take some red ochre into the cave and calculate statistical significance on the walls. Don't eat the liver until I get back. Of course, if the liver eaters all die, don't discard the liver until I get back, because it might be a statistical fluke. Then, we will compare results with the Forest People, who are undergoing a parallel study, so we can acquire peer-review empirical evidence and eat the liver with confidence. I hope this study goes well, because I am really tired of eating berries."

    • @HuckleberryHim
      @HuckleberryHim Před 4 lety +108

      Or it might be a liver fluke

    • @sophiejones7727
      @sophiejones7727 Před 4 lety +175

      omigod please make this a webcomic.

    • @dejapoo5508
      @dejapoo5508 Před 4 lety +119

      ....... " and we need another group to eat only placebos "

    • @dejapoo5508
      @dejapoo5508 Před 4 lety +1

      @@HuckleberryHim Ta Dahhhh !!! Oh dear :-)

    • @TwinklesTheChinchilla
      @TwinklesTheChinchilla Před 4 lety +83

      Fellow bipeds, I have bad news: Thag ran across a relic stegosaurus while hunting for liver... there was an accident.

  • @LynnHermione
    @LynnHermione Před 3 lety +263

    I always wondered how was the process of people who discovered spices. Like, how they found out certain plants were tasty when put in other stuff and also helped slow rotting

    • @viovenda8922
      @viovenda8922 Před 3 lety +51

      They had nothing but time back then

    • @sophiaruizuvalle2523
      @sophiaruizuvalle2523 Před 3 lety +47

      Imagine if someone just ate a fist full of black pepper

    • @noahjimenez5290
      @noahjimenez5290 Před 2 lety +76

      @@sophiaruizuvalle2523 we shall honor the pain and suffering the first human who tried a mouthful of pepper so we could learn more about it for food

    • @GodzillaofTokyo
      @GodzillaofTokyo Před 2 lety +29

      I wanna know who figured out how to make cassava root not be poisonous....like failed poisoning? Here enjoy this tapioca pudding, I swear it's not poisoned....

    • @katastrofygames
      @katastrofygames Před 2 lety +20

      @@GodzillaofTokyo I’m not certain but I think when humans learned to heat up food with fire or dry it in the sun is when they made most poisonous foods safe.
      My question is, what drove ancient humans to toss food into fire in the first place? You would think that to them food is very precious and they wouldn’t want to throw something precious into fire. Maybe they were cold so they wanted to eat something warm and that’s when they tested out rudimentary “cooking”.

  • @SoniaSephia
    @SoniaSephia Před 4 lety +166

    Instragram Health Influences: "Is ThIs PaLeO?
    First Humans: "Can I eat this and not die?"

    • @commentingisawasteoftime7195
      @commentingisawasteoftime7195 Před 3 lety +2

      21st century me inspecting roadkill:. "Can I eat this and not get sick?"

    • @fionagibson7529
      @fionagibson7529 Před 2 lety

      @@commentingisawasteoftime7195 depends on how long it’s been dead and what part got crushed, I think

    • @commentingisawasteoftime7195
      @commentingisawasteoftime7195 Před 2 lety

      @@fionagibson7529 also how hot it is and if you're worried about a rib puncturing the guts, you can take the quarters and backstrap without entering the cavity.

  • @sonyakinsey4376
    @sonyakinsey4376 Před 4 lety +252

    According to Pinterest, our ancestors ate "paleo diet cupcakes, with whipped mocca frosting, and organic fairtrade cocoa". I eagerly await confirmation of this diet through the fossil record.

    • @TheSpecialJ11
      @TheSpecialJ11 Před rokem +8

      Yeah. I came across a paleo recipe that called for bread flour and sugar. I was thinking "You're kidding. Just because you made it from scratch doesn't mean it's paleo. Do you even know what that word means?"

    • @eggrollsoup
      @eggrollsoup Před rokem

      @@TheSpecialJ11 lmao

    • @BobbyBaloney
      @BobbyBaloney Před 2 měsíci

      Paleo yolo

    • @theresemalmberg955
      @theresemalmberg955 Před 2 měsíci

      Don't know how they could have eaten cocoa, as that came from the Americas, same with vanilla, and I'm not sure people were in the Americas that early. Mocca I take it to mean some form of coffee, which definitely wasn't a paleolithic thing. So nope. If it was processed, if it came from the Americas or other parts of the world that was not populated by humans during the paleolithic, if it is a recipe that involves techniques and equipment not available to said humans, it's not truly paleolithic. I also doubt that they had sugar back then.

  • @marcuswu4922
    @marcuswu4922 Před 4 lety +1650

    Glad to know that the tendency of toddlers to stuff anything small enough into their mouths can be explained by evolutionary biology

    • @crazycatlady39
      @crazycatlady39 Před 4 lety +36

      Calories are important. Lol.

    • @enviromental2565
      @enviromental2565 Před 4 lety +243

      When my son was 1 year he chewed up a slug. I had to get the disgusting mess out of his mouth and cried the whole time (me, not the child).

    • @kaitlyndevlin6955
      @kaitlyndevlin6955 Před 4 lety +95

      Babies putting things in their mouths actually has to do with how developed their senses are, they can feel better with their mouths than hands.

    • @mikshinee87
      @mikshinee87 Před 4 lety +134

      @@enviromental2565 There was a very dark case of a teenage kid that ate a gardening sług on a dare. The sług contained a deadly parasite that caused lungworm disease. The boy was in a coma and died. So lucky that you were there in time, imagine if your son swallowed it.

    • @Theelderscrolls52
      @Theelderscrolls52 Před 3 lety +46

      My toddler licked a rock this morning......

  • @jeffborders5526
    @jeffborders5526 Před 3 lety +572

    The real Paleo diet: "eat anything you can get your hands on and try really hard to not starve to death before 40."

    • @LeoDomitrix
      @LeoDomitrix Před rokem +1

      When I say that, the "paleo" crowd freak out and run to a steakhouse. Very "paleo" *eyeroll*

    • @JubioHDX
      @JubioHDX Před rokem

      Then die at 40 anyway cause past age 30 even in modern day its all downhill from there😂 retired athletes today of course sometimes are more destructive to their bodies than physical hunters but i think the lasting damage that things like football and basketball leave on the retirees proves that decades of the physical exertion needed for persistence hunting will definitely build up in you even with modern medicine

  • @Nmethyltransferase
    @Nmethyltransferase Před 4 lety +109

    Paleo(tm)(r) dieters: "If we only ate like our ancestors, we'd avoid all disease!"
    Our ancestors:

    • @auveus5036
      @auveus5036 Před 9 měsíci

      Yes, that's exactly what would happen. Diet has nothing to do with this whatsoever with how they required it; Living, not diet.

  • @Robert399
    @Robert399 Před 4 lety +878

    3:58 That Swiss Army Knife has preserved remarkably well!

  • @unicornswag888
    @unicornswag888 Před 4 lety +2304

    *_Gotta get that protein._*

  • @liquidkameleon
    @liquidkameleon Před 3 lety +105

    "Our willingness to eat anything is the hallmark of the human story, going back to our earliest hominid relatives"
    A legacy continued today during weekend nights by drunken youth who will risk their life for a very suspicious kebab.

    • @Eltipoquevisteayer
      @Eltipoquevisteayer Před 3 lety +9

      Or stoners going into taco bell

    • @Identified_Idiot
      @Identified_Idiot Před rokem +8

      @@Eltipoquevisteayer I notice a UK US culture differance between these two comments.

    • @JubioHDX
      @JubioHDX Před rokem +3

      Me, age 20, eating a chicken drumstick thats been uncovered at room temperature on a plate for 36 hours

    • @TheSpecialJ11
      @TheSpecialJ11 Před rokem

      "I'm sure it's at least a mammal"

    • @tonyatthebeach
      @tonyatthebeach Před 6 měsíci

      @@JubioHDX Been there. I spent a long weekend on the toilet

  • @AndrusPr8
    @AndrusPr8 Před 3 lety +49

    Eating shrimp with Rice, Peas, onion, red and green peper, dringking orange juice and looking foward that delicious ice cream for dessert I realized how varied my dinner is

  • @elrondhubbard7059
    @elrondhubbard7059 Před 4 lety +1256

    It's mind-blowing to think just how many generations of humans there have been and how small your life is in the timeline.
    Also how weird this modern era is compared to the millions of years that preceded it. 99% of all the humans so far have been these hairy ape people wandering around killing mammoths, it's only been the last 10,000 years that we began to make towns, cities and civilisations, and then it's only been the last couple of hundred years that we started to exponentially develop our technology. So at one time it seems like we're just another human generation, one among millions of others that have come before, but on the hand the position we're in now is really strange and unprecedented.

    • @justdude2775
      @justdude2775 Před 4 lety +50

      Most of our history is manufactured. We are not ready to learn the truth.

    • @camerontaylor7471
      @camerontaylor7471 Před 4 lety +36

      The sad about the reality of the situation... is that humanity will never truly know where we came from...

    • @LeonWagg
      @LeonWagg Před 4 lety +31

      Just Dude Tell us we all want to know.

    • @Taydiablo3
      @Taydiablo3 Před 4 lety +20

      We will die like they did, not all bus some and then we will be Neanderthals to the next species of human.

    • @elrondhubbard7059
      @elrondhubbard7059 Před 4 lety +133

      @@justdude2775
      Do you think the scientists are all just in on a conspiracy to make up fossils?

  • @nchia
    @nchia Před 4 lety +395

    It never ceases to amaze me how the really complex sounding terms and names roll so effortlessly off the PBS Eons presenters's tongues.

    • @tabularasa0606
      @tabularasa0606 Před 4 lety +14

      Lots of practice, before they record.

    • @the1shrubbery
      @the1shrubbery Před 4 lety +34

      @@tabularasa0606 I dont think its practice before they record, more like years of studying using those terms until it forms part of their daily vocabulary.

    • @nahor88
      @nahor88 Před 4 lety +3

      Every time he said "hominid" though I couldn't stop thinking "humana humana humana". He should say "HAH-muh-nid" more slowly instead of "huh-muh-nid".

    • @elsonlam
      @elsonlam Před 3 lety +5

      They've been using those words for so long, they have become natural for them. For example, the ancient Romans spoke Latin fluently because that's their mother's language. When I try, I summon the devil.

    • @TheSublimeLifestyle
      @TheSublimeLifestyle Před 2 lety +4

      That’s what happens when you’re an actual professional in a field. It’s a part of his vocab - just like curse words fly from a lot of our vocab, naturally 😂

  • @ber2996
    @ber2996 Před 4 lety +162

    Paleolithic kids will understand, like this if you were born between 2.5 million and 9600 BCE

    • @gruzza9000
      @gruzza9000 Před 2 lety +2

      Gotcha, thanks for being there

  • @Hossak
    @Hossak Před 4 lety +37

    One of the absolute constants of our existence is starvation. I suspect most of our ancient ancestors were always a week away from serious malnutrition, so I don't blame them for eating anything they came across. The energy and nutrition equation demands it. This condition was really only addressed in the last 40 years.

  • @magichands135
    @magichands135 Před 4 lety +413

    3:56 And not a word about the excavated prehistoric swiss knife.

    • @SuviTuuliAllan
      @SuviTuuliAllan Před 4 lety +6

      nvm

    • @redmadhatter03
      @redmadhatter03 Před 4 lety +24

      ran out of bananas for scale

    • @dodoslovensko
      @dodoslovensko Před 4 lety +10

      That is because it predates the bones by 1000 000 years .

    • @JR-gp2zk
      @JR-gp2zk Před 4 lety +20

      That is not a swiss knife, it is an indo-european knife.

    •  Před 4 lety +4

      @@JR-gp2zk I see what you did there

  • @Sciencerely
    @Sciencerely Před 4 lety +923

    As a human biologists, it's really fascinating to think how our diet has impacted our species. Roughly 20 000 ago a mutation occurred which made humans lactose tolerant. Since this was a huge selective advantage during periods of starvation the mutation quickly spread and, now, the majority of Europeans are lactose tolerant (I made a video about this a while ago). I think that's a great example of how a small change in diet (and a small mutation) can change a species!

    • @jackshen5093
      @jackshen5093 Před 4 lety +15

      Life Lab Learner was that a mutation or a change in gene expression induced by the milk-drinking environment?

    • @vi0let781
      @vi0let781 Před 4 lety +53

      i am one failed european then lol

    • @Handsy_McGee
      @Handsy_McGee Před 4 lety +53

      @@vi0let781 it's not like 100% of Europeans can eat dairy. And heck, the rest of the world is in the same boat.

    • @krankarvolund7771
      @krankarvolund7771 Před 4 lety +98

      @William Baker Well, I guess taht's why he said "majority of eropeans", that oddly does not designate all hmans on Earth :p

    • @Leomoon101
      @Leomoon101 Před 4 lety +3

      Honestly humans of African descent tended to be the least tolerant of milk, at least that's what I heard in school.

  • @Phlebas
    @Phlebas Před 4 lety +13

    The intro reminds me, someone I know is a big believer in naturopathy and all that entails. So she went to a naturopath who prescribed her a crapload of vitamin A and she ended up with vitamin A toxicity, which led to a trip to the emergency room. It's been about three years and she still has chronic issues that she has to deal with.
    Frustratingly, her take on this whole thing was, "well, _that_ naturopath was obviously a quack, but my new one's great!" Which means I guess he hasn't poisoned her yet.

  • @Chezzprinn
    @Chezzprinn Před 4 lety +252

    "My only regret is that I have boneitis." -- our ancestor, probably.

    • @plant5875
      @plant5875 Před 3 lety +7

      I think it's called Osteitis

    • @ottogreen2749
      @ottogreen2749 Před 3 lety +14

      @@plant5875 Not if you're an 80's businessman taking over a delivery company.

    • @plant5875
      @plant5875 Před 3 lety +2

      @@ottogreen2749 huh?

    • @singerdesign
      @singerdesign Před 3 lety +4

      @@plant5875 it's a reference to Futurama

    • @SuperMrHiggins
      @SuperMrHiggins Před 3 lety +1

      Awesome
      Awesome to the max.

  • @robertkirby8685
    @robertkirby8685 Před 4 lety +1149

    The original Paleo Diet: Meat from wild animals you hunted and wild edible plants that you came across.

    • @kenmc5690
      @kenmc5690 Před 4 lety +53

      Mainly wild plants the women gathered while the men hunted meat, according to my Grandmother.

    • @carissstewart3211
      @carissstewart3211 Před 4 lety +24

      If twinkies grew on trees, a whole lot of those.

    • @bluestormpony
      @bluestormpony Před 4 lety +64

      correction, meat from wild animals. and whatever plants didnt kill the first guy who ate them

    • @no_more_free_nicks
      @no_more_free_nicks Před 4 lety +6

      In those days, that would include you.

    • @vamsighorakavi7594
      @vamsighorakavi7594 Před 4 lety +38

      You forgot insects

  • @ChrisBryer
    @ChrisBryer Před 4 lety +686

    What did humans eat?
    Yes.

    • @hiimryan2388
      @hiimryan2388 Před 3 lety +5

      If its edible it is edible

    • @AeonAxisProductions
      @AeonAxisProductions Před 3 lety +7

      nature: you shouldnt eat that
      humans: how bout i do a n y w a y?

    • @lc-mx1ir
      @lc-mx1ir Před 3 lety +5

      @@hiimryan2388 humans eat even if its not edible, if the eater dies then the eater who survive will have offsprings and pass on his immunity

    • @DieselSamurai
      @DieselSamurai Před 2 lety +1

      To think, humans have been eating meat for a million years... If you ask a vegan, we just started recently... Sorry vegans, I'll keep eating what our ancestors did, everything.

  • @indoorsandout3022
    @indoorsandout3022 Před 3 lety +6

    Nutmeg is my favorite spice. At a very high dose, it can cause hallucinations. At an extreme dose it can cause death. But it is absolutely delightful in very small amounts.

  • @Ninkira
    @Ninkira Před 3 lety +23

    The note on cultural bias at 5:32 is GREAT, i think its so important to include items like this particularly in these quick look kind of videos!! Thanks Eons team!

  • @aidanharrison3888
    @aidanharrison3888 Před 4 lety +196

    To this day those crazy Norway guys love heavy metal

    • @flyingdart9819
      @flyingdart9819 Před 3 lety +3

      I love Norwegian Black Metal. It's very delicious.

    • @nex7886
      @nex7886 Před 2 lety +3

      @@flyingdart9819 One Burzum a day keeps Euronymous away.

    • @topiheimola69
      @topiheimola69 Před 2 lety

      All vikings do

  • @spritemon98
    @spritemon98 Před 4 lety +229

    1,000 ways to die prehistoric edition

    • @procrastinator99
      @procrastinator99 Před 4 lety +7

      That's a movie I'd actually watch.

    • @firegator6853
      @firegator6853 Před 4 lety +8

      1. lions 2.hyenas 3.poisonous plant food 4.stung by too many bees 5.eating a dangerous bug 6.mammoths 7.rhinos 8.crocodiles
      ok i give up

    • @RHD_lantz
      @RHD_lantz Před 4 lety +1

      A Thousand? You could died with anything from prehistoric era..

    • @domnick_1
      @domnick_1 Před 4 lety +2

      @S A Sorry to break it to you but hominids and dinosaurs didn't co-exist together tho

    • @mosquitobight
      @mosquitobight Před 4 lety

      Wonder if woolly mammoths were tameable

  • @user-tu4jp4vr7d
    @user-tu4jp4vr7d Před 4 lety +5

    Honestly, never thought about how early anthropologists were western and didn't eat bugs, so they never thought about them as a food source. But, now makes perfect sense. Thanks!

  • @STrouwborst
    @STrouwborst Před 3 lety +8

    Cooking food also made a very big difference.
    Eating too much liver can be dangerous, for instance, the Inuit always divide the liver in their group so everyone gets a tiny portion and they have enough vitamin C in the end because they have hardly any plant-based food. Clever people the Inuit...

  • @sarcasmo57
    @sarcasmo57 Před 4 lety +97

    I don't feel so bad about eating all those grasshoppers this morning.

    • @theonefromk7602
      @theonefromk7602 Před 4 lety +4

      did you ferment those too?

    • @zaraterosas
      @zaraterosas Před 4 lety +7

      Mexican from Oaxaca?

    • @112cla50
      @112cla50 Před 4 lety +2

      Wat?

    • @enviromental2565
      @enviromental2565 Před 4 lety +3

      I have an irrational fear of grasshoppers, so eating them is out for me.

    • @MarcosElMalo2
      @MarcosElMalo2 Před 4 lety +4

      Abraham Zarate If that chapulín ate grasshoppers, that’d be cannibalism.

  • @rickseiden1
    @rickseiden1 Před 4 lety +160

    "The fish was toxic, but we ate it anyway." Um....Puffer fish...still do it.

    • @rooseveltbrentwood9654
      @rooseveltbrentwood9654 Před 4 lety +10

      Rick Seiden yes but we do it very carefully

    • @HuckleberryHim
      @HuckleberryHim Před 4 lety +11

      And also regular fish. Those ancient pollutants didn't just vanish; they actually increased manifold due to human activity.

    • @primusloy
      @primusloy Před 4 lety +1

      @@HuckleberryHim I have been eating fish all my life, im not dead, neither are other people in my town

    • @sophiejones7727
      @sophiejones7727 Před 4 lety +16

      and olives. actually lots of things we eat are toxic if they aren't prepared in a *really* specific way that one has to wonder how the frick people ever thought of in the first place.

    • @haykalhakeem4473
      @haykalhakeem4473 Před 3 lety +2

      @@primusloy aren't most toxins pollutants etc need to build up in your body first before it becomes dangerous? That or you consume like a gazillion toxic fish at once

  • @TheDarkever
    @TheDarkever Před 3 lety +29

    3:55 Ooooh a rare fossil of a 1.55 million years old swiss pocket knife. Those are rare!

  • @dillon7981
    @dillon7981 Před 4 lety +7

    Imagine living back during this time and having no knowledge of any animal, like the crocodile, and just living and surviving.. really puts things into perspective. this video is awesome

    • @MsOSheDidIt
      @MsOSheDidIt Před rokem

      Please there's so many videos of people now that have no idea what type of animal they are shown. I saw one, with yes a blonde girl swearing a goose on the water was an ostrich! People have no idea what chickens really look like unless it's breaded and fried! 😂

  • @islandplace7235
    @islandplace7235 Před 4 lety +86

    Such a mysterious and fascinating part of our past.

    • @p_ma
      @p_ma Před 4 lety +3

      Lefevers home its like history is a person and this part of its past is like a memory from its infantry.

    • @sabersquid2523
      @sabersquid2523 Před 4 lety +1

      William alright then

    • @KristinkaAranova
      @KristinkaAranova Před 4 lety +1

      Will - so since you’re the expert, tell us all about our past.

  • @gregoryfenn1462
    @gregoryfenn1462 Před 4 lety +140

    When you mentioned taking a risk for food that might be tasty, I couldn’t help but think of that Tide Pod challenge last year. Some weird instinct to eat something ridiculous just because on an evolutionary instinct, there’s a chance it’s an amazing new source of nutrition

    • @justinokraski3796
      @justinokraski3796 Před 4 lety +10

      the problem with that meme though was that it started off as an inside joke among autism spectrum communities about how "normal" people assumed they would eat tide pods, only to then mutate into a thing with people actually trying it as a social thing... maybe people would try new things as a way to build social prestige

    • @zooker7938
      @zooker7938 Před 4 lety +34

      That has nothing to do with tide pods at all. The people who ate tide pods were just stupid. They did it for clout, not for an instinct to be adventurous. Tide pods are packets of toxic chemicals and everyone knows it.

    • @gregoryfenn1462
      @gregoryfenn1462 Před 4 lety

      Werewolf O. London, Esq. thank you 😊

    • @izthistle6196
      @izthistle6196 Před 4 lety

      As a gen z I can testify that tide pod isn’t very tasty or nutritious

    • @joshuao4928
      @joshuao4928 Před 4 lety +7

      Carnivore livers, Tide Pods of the pleistocene era.

  • @TraphouseTCG
    @TraphouseTCG Před 4 lety +31

    My man been hitting the weights during Covid💪🏼

  • @vighnesh_m
    @vighnesh_m Před 3 lety +23

    3:57
    Aah, the swiss army knife
    The favoured tool of our ancestors

    • @johnanderson2419
      @johnanderson2419 Před 2 lety +1

      That’s all that’s left of an ancient ray mears

    • @slwrabbits
      @slwrabbits Před 2 lety +1

      Lol, someone forgot their size reference that day. I used a 1 cc syringe in a pinch once.

    • @topiheimola69
      @topiheimola69 Před 2 lety +1

      Lol

  • @YoungTheFish
    @YoungTheFish Před 4 lety +150

    "This episode makes you hungry for more human...... evolution content."

  • @lestatangel
    @lestatangel Před 4 lety +112

    They pretty much ate everything. Including each other on occasion.

    • @rds7696
      @rds7696 Před 3 lety +10

      hmmm..."ate" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

    • @lestatangel
      @lestatangel Před 3 lety +5

      @@rds7696
      Obligate carnivores.

    • @prehistoricorchid3455
      @prehistoricorchid3455 Před 3 lety +5

      heck i mean we still do after doing dumb things and we end up isolated without other food sorces.

    • @lestatangel
      @lestatangel Před 3 lety +6

      @@prehistoricorchid3455 I always carry seasonings. Just in case. 🖤

    • @commentingisawasteoftime7195
      @commentingisawasteoftime7195 Před 3 lety +1

      @@lestatangel human is supposed to be close to pork. I think rabbit is close to chicken and the best way I could describe a pet cat(roadkill-I don't kill people's pets) is better than the best pork you ever had.

  • @ravenwolf7128
    @ravenwolf7128 Před 4 lety +28

    OK Blake, I'd like an episode on how you stay so buff. Especially during quarantine. Thank you.

    • @hexstaticloonatic4194
      @hexstaticloonatic4194 Před 3 lety +2

      Underrated comment

    • @ravenwolf7128
      @ravenwolf7128 Před 2 lety

      @@paulleddy3185 I mostly left the comment because I'm a Blake fan, but did try weights and powders, problem is I have rheumatoid arthritis and repetitive stress injuries and tore a rotator cuff, so lifting a pencil is a challenge now.....old lady syndrome is slowly taking over my body and it sucks. I never understood why old people don't work harder to stay fit--now I get it--illnesses like autoimmunity and chronic inflammation can overwhelm you....and all I can do is watch my muscles disappear and my bones dissolve like every other old lady. just glad if I can get out of bed.

    • @ravenwolf7128
      @ravenwolf7128 Před 2 lety

      @@paulleddy3185 you're so kind to care--thank you. isn't it an odd thing how connected we are and yet we are all strangers here. I do follow many of those suggestions--which is probably why I'm not worse--I don't take immune suppressing drugs either. I homestead and grow some organic foods--get plenty of sunshine even in winter. it's hard work tho and sometimes I just can't do things I wish I could. I'm worn out. The stresses in my life kicked me over the edge into autoimmunity I think--we are more than a machine....A broken heart can be life threatening tho doctors don't know how to treat that--I see a therapist but it's a drop in an ocean so to speak. I'm just glad for every day I'm still alive and carry on. Don't know why I'm telling you all this but don't expect you to have a solution--just sharing my humanity. I'm sure there are a lot of other people out there who can relate. sending my compassion out to those who struggle with limitations--there are still good things you can do and be, even if you are not able to get ripped muscles. Who knows maybe I'll go into remission and start lifting.....

  • @nakenmil
    @nakenmil Před 4 lety +11

    These videos are a blessing of sanity in an insane world. Thanks.

  • @fancydeer
    @fancydeer Před 4 lety +21

    Paleo Daddy has blessed us on this day.

  • @notsure6187
    @notsure6187 Před 4 lety +148

    The last time I was this early I was being chased by Titannis Waleri down the Brazilian Serengeti.

  • @drew96
    @drew96 Před 4 lety +15

    This guy is getting more and more comfortable with his presentations.

  • @tahirsengine
    @tahirsengine Před 2 lety +1

    You always take us on a journey in the past, what connects us all. Thank you.

  • @overhealing7691
    @overhealing7691 Před 4 lety +63

    This has the same energy as eating instant ramen you never heard before until you bought because it's on sale

  • @SmallSnailMarie
    @SmallSnailMarie Před 4 lety +46

    I love PBS Eons 😊 learning about everything on here is so interesting!

    • @tabularasa0606
      @tabularasa0606 Před 4 lety +2

      Learning science is always interesting, no matter the subject.

  • @Splarkszter
    @Splarkszter Před 2 lety +2

    thanks to PBS my knowledge is growing much faster.

  • @quarkraven
    @quarkraven Před 2 lety +1

    I absolutely love this video and can't possibly get enough of videos like it. Thank you!!!!!

  • @markeppley1287
    @markeppley1287 Před 4 lety +16

    Finally some more stuff on ancient hominids. Please more videos on human evolution!!

  • @rkbkirin5975
    @rkbkirin5975 Před 4 lety +19

    Great video! Thank you for mentioning insects were a likely part of our ancestor's diets. I hate those trendy paleo diets proclaiming ancient humans chowing down on steaks and ribs every night was somehow historical or natural. They bring up BS 'evidence' just as flawed as all the trendy vegan diets claiming that humans have actually evolved to be herbivores.
    Nice to see this video pointing out we evolved to eat *everything and anything^ and that's how we managed to survive. Science and actual facts are becoming a rarity these days and it's good that there are still sources for them.

  • @CorbiniteVids
    @CorbiniteVids Před 4 lety +13

    I feel like this is a pretty good illustration of how we're opportunate omnivores, rather than obligate omnivores

  • @graup1309
    @graup1309 Před 4 lety +9

    After this video I have a lot fewer questions as to how we came to use some of the more complicated fermentation processes we use today. Especially ones that make food edible in the first place

  • @Twitchi
    @Twitchi Před 4 lety +65

    One thing that's never a risk is the support of our boi STEVE
    mysterious benefactor, so enigmatic I really would like to know more about him.. if it even is one person?

    • @mal2ksc
      @mal2ksc Před 4 lety +9

      _On the Internet, nobody knows you're an atmospheric phenomenon._
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_(atmospheric_phenomenon)

  • @sanveersookdawe
    @sanveersookdawe Před 4 lety +8

    Whoever makes the animations for this show, please make a short movie. It woulf be great to see these works of art come to life😮

  • @SatiricalLizard
    @SatiricalLizard Před rokem +3

    Joke's on me. I still can't eat cashews without dying.

  • @jessedejager7408
    @jessedejager7408 Před 4 lety +2

    Hey, this is a great channel! Can’t believe that I didn’t find it earlier, very interesting and informative

  • @KJNZ2011
    @KJNZ2011 Před 4 lety +55

    I love the eons series... keeps me entertained and interested. Love from New Zealand. Hope you all are safe and well

  • @Tekutteku
    @Tekutteku Před 4 lety +15

    I've been binged watching your videos for the last 2 weeks and FINALLY I've caught up now. Your content is so world widening, fun, and comprehensible. 😁

  • @diogopinto6039
    @diogopinto6039 Před 4 lety +1

    I love this channel! Thanks PBS =)

  • @neub4321
    @neub4321 Před 3 lety +2

    This is an episode I can relate to more than some others.

  • @joeljacques3635
    @joeljacques3635 Před 4 lety +9

    I always look forward to new eons episodes, and I watch old ones a lot to fall asleep. It's very calming and I end up learning so much

  • @MetalliacFeather
    @MetalliacFeather Před 4 lety +32

    No other species:
    Our ancestors: I wonder how this tastes.

  • @scooterking136
    @scooterking136 Před 3 lety +2

    PBS is the GOAT, this is super interesting.

  • @annaz2011
    @annaz2011 Před 4 lety +2

    these videos are pushing me through quarantine

  • @midnandlinkforever
    @midnandlinkforever Před 4 lety +15

    I love this series so much. In college, my favorite classes were anthropology. I especially loved the biological anthropology subject. If I could do anything, I would study prehumans and our closest living relatives. Thanks for these videos! They've answered a lot of questions I had in college that weren't covered. :)

  • @xdoodlelover
    @xdoodlelover Před 4 lety +11

    This is such a cool series. I hope you guys never stop making these.

  • @DavidGarcia-oi5nt
    @DavidGarcia-oi5nt Před 3 lety +1

    I love u so much PBS Eons, you ignite that childish wonder of the world within me

    • @Anya_Aprelskaya
      @Anya_Aprelskaya Před 3 lety

      So true! Thank you for describing what this strange yet nice feeling is. I couldn't quite tell what I was feeling, but I knew it was something other than just curiosity

  • @jasondwight1917
    @jasondwight1917 Před 2 lety

    Great video, PBS Eons!!!

  • @Yungrexk
    @Yungrexk Před 4 lety +135

    Last time I was this early American lion were stalking me
    It was scary

    • @vinces7001
      @vinces7001 Před 4 lety

      SlamDunkyX. You will be More scared when You Loose Your Virginity!

    • @siechamontillado
      @siechamontillado Před 4 lety +12

      Were they lion-n-wait for you?!
      I'll show myself out...

    • @scienceshowjp7543
      @scienceshowjp7543 Před 4 lety

      Last time i was this early , it was the first time i was this early

    • @Yungrexk
      @Yungrexk Před 4 lety

      Vince S what you mean

    • @Yungrexk
      @Yungrexk Před 4 lety

      Vince S just because Iam 18 I can’t have ainme as my profile 😖😢
      Jk but I am 18

  • @mauriciomunoz87
    @mauriciomunoz87 Před 4 lety +4

    This is the content I come here for. Thanks again Eons!

  • @Kmart929292
    @Kmart929292 Před 3 lety +1

    Love the show, keep up the good work.

  • @Articulate99
    @Articulate99 Před 2 lety +1

    Always informative, thank you.

  • @Ahrim565
    @Ahrim565 Před 4 lety +5

    this was so fun and interesting to watch! thanks for this episode :)

  • @katepayne58
    @katepayne58 Před 4 lety +12

    I just love eons, every video is so informative with such great graphics

  • @thelatelatestreamwithsmile8698

    I had like, 2 or 3 science/ history youtube channels in my subscriptions back in February. The vid is making me seek knowledge like never before... out of sheer boredom... and a lack of intimate.... interactions

  • @kittydollsxo189
    @kittydollsxo189 Před 3 lety +3

    our ancestors went through hell and back to survive yet I’m here crying over spilled ice cream. It was because of them I am living in comfort.

  • @grymgungus3933
    @grymgungus3933 Před 4 lety +42

    Wrong, she just drank too much bone-hurting juice.

    • @YouzACoopa
      @YouzACoopa Před 3 lety

      can confirm, I just checked the science

  • @johnfajer7691
    @johnfajer7691 Před 4 lety +6

    My 5 year old loves watching PBS Eons! Keep it up!

    • @uvwuvw-ol3fg
      @uvwuvw-ol3fg Před 4 lety

      Agreed, such a good presentation, yet full of cultural platitudes, confirmation bias and selection bias (always leaving out pan paniscus due to their reactive socially functional group bonding which is opposite to pan troglodytes society based on proactive political games over status).

    • @prometheus4616
      @prometheus4616 Před 4 lety

      Are you sure he/she is 5 years old?🧐

  • @erikswanson5753
    @erikswanson5753 Před 3 lety +1

    I really like these videos. We're not talked down to and the presenters actually know the correct pronunciation, and isn't just some 20 something who would treat this like a big joke.

  • @sagacious03
    @sagacious03 Před 4 lety +1

    Pretty interesting! Thanks for uploading!

  • @OakleyKulu007
    @OakleyKulu007 Před 4 lety +93

    Ah yes, I do remember when I snapped my short body's leg climbing up shelves trying to get a small container of honey too.

    • @averyvanderlouw1193
      @averyvanderlouw1193 Před 4 lety +5

      @Taiwanlight cave man medicine: “leg broken one way? I break it another way! Now I tie wood to it” *picks off fleas from armpit hair*

    • @enviromental2565
      @enviromental2565 Před 4 lety

      Only time I ever broke a bone was when mom tried to ride me in front of her on a bike when I was 4 and I fell off and broke my collarbone. Ahh the 60s.

  • @DomyTheMad420
    @DomyTheMad420 Před 4 lety +11

    i only just now noticed that this guy is JACKED. :O

  • @jdr9419
    @jdr9419 Před 3 lety

    Fascinating! Thanks for the information!

  • @andreasimon2752
    @andreasimon2752 Před 4 lety +1

    So crazy how we know all this stuff about our past....
    It's like putting a puzzle together

  • @AO00720
    @AO00720 Před 4 lety +5

    I always wondered how we learned what’s Edible and What’s not.
    1:46 guess that answers my question.

  • @taterman0247
    @taterman0247 Před 4 lety +4

    Dang it, I subbed like two weeks ago and I’ve already watched all the videos!

  • @michaelwatson113
    @michaelwatson113 Před 4 lety +2

    Nothing like real science. Thank you.

  • @TerribleInThOriginal
    @TerribleInThOriginal Před 4 lety +8

    "Like how in modern day people will still seek out and try risky food"
    My brain: "blowfish....."