Hominins have been using fire for various reasons for at least 1 million years. Image courtesy of Sheila Terry/Science Photo Library
Joel Kontinen
How could humans cope with fire and lesser burns? According to evolution, they succeeded well.
Mastering fire may
have also led to genetic changes that helped early humans survive
mild burn injuries, but this evolutionary trait could complicate the treatment
of more severe cases today.
An early-stage
study suggests that the selection of genes preventing deadly infections
that could arise from minor burns were prioritised in early Homo sapiens,
but these same genes interfere with the healing of severe ones. This may be
because, in primitive times, people with severe burns had almost no hope of
surviving.
Source:
Christa Lesté-Lasserre 2025 Humans evolved to survive mild burns at the expense of severe ones | New Scientist 28 April
Posts
