Mastering fire and the development of human speech and language

Since Charles Darwin's time, the mastery of fire has been considered one of humanity's greatest achievements, next to speech. The latest reports indicate that these two breakthrough moments in human history are closely related. Previous research has mainly focused on how fire allowed for longer days and improved living conditions. The new publication goes a step further by analyzing how the specificity of firelight could create unique conditions for the development of stories and language.

Evening meetings around the bonfire

Modern research on the communication of great apes shows that they are capable of many forms of complex communication: they use gestures, demonstrate the ability to understand the intentions of others, and can cooperate and learn from each other. As emphasized by Professor Catherine Hobaiter from the University of St. Andrews, many everyday social problems can be solved without the use of language, both among humans and other species. However, despite these similarities, only humans have developed the ability to create abstract stories, mathematics, and literature.

The authors of the study argue that evening meetings around the bonfire could have been a key moment in the evolution of the language. The fire not only extended the time people could spend together after dark, but also created an atmosphere conducive to sharing stories. Interestingly, the fire emits almost no blue light, which disturbs sleep, so evening conversations did not negatively affect the participants' health.

Effects on the brain

Additionally, the flickering of flames has a special effect on the human brain. Neurons synchronize with the rhythm of this flickering, which may promote a sense of community and a deep social bond. Fire also emits a significant amount of infrared light, which may have additional, although not yet fully understood, significance for human behavior.

Professor Nathaniel Dominy of Dartmouth College points out that while the role of fire in community life is well known, its impact on human attention, focus and cooperation remains largely undiscovered. Researchers emphasize that the ability to test these hypotheses opens a new chapter in research on the evolution of language.