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Did seaweed make us who we are today? by Staff Writers Odense M, Denmark (SPX) Mar 01, 2017
Millions of years ago something happened, allowing early Homo sapiens to branch out from the primitive hominoid family tree. Was this crucial turn in human evolution partly driven by seaweed and its particular content of essential nutrients? Over the past 2.5 - 2 million years human brains have gone through the most significant development, and as a result modern-day humans are left with an organ that is the source of all the qualities that define humanity. Our ancestors needed lots of energy-rich foods just to get by, and for this impressive, significant brain development they also needed certain essential nutrients. Without nutrients like magnesium and zinc modern brains cannot function, and according to a number of scientific studies it is likely that the access to certain essential nutrients influenced the evolution of the human brain so that it could become the brain we have today.
From primitive ancestor to modern human Professor Mouritsen is an expert in molecular biophysics and author of several books about food science. He is co-author of a newly published review in Journal of Applied Phycology on research highlighting the potential impact of the consumption of a variety of seaweeds (so-called large marine algae, or macroalgae) in human brain health, including benefits to early Homo sapiens. Other contributors to the review are Melania Lynn Cornish and Alan T. Critchley, Acadian Seaplants, Canada.
Foraging in coastal areas "However, the changing patterns of resource distribution associated with the extensive drying and expansion of the African savannahs between 2.5 and 2 million years ago have been the impetus for a shift in foraging behavior among early members of the genus Homo. Foraging over longer distances for food would have contributed to bipedalism and a different body stature as increasingly larger ranges had to be traversed, and in the case of our primitive ancestors, this would undoubtedly lead to significant changes in diet, the authors write. Coastal areas may very well have attracted early hominoids in search of food.
Just as healthy for us The nutrients in seaweed not only benefitted our ancestors. "Seaweed is just as healthy and nutritious for humans today as it was millions of years ago," says Professor Ole G. Mouritsen.
Essential nutrients for brain development: Magnesium. Can be found in legumes, pumpkin and squash seeds, nuts and macroalgae. It plays an important role in neuroprotection and cognition. Important for the ability to store new information in neural networks. Zinc. Can be found in many foods but is particularly plentiful in various cuts of meat, especially liver. Extremely abundant in oysters. Crustaceans and most seaweeds are also robust sources. Plays an important role in learning, development and memory. Vitamin B12. Is found exclusively in animal products such as meat, eggs, fish and milk - with one exception: it is also confirmed in Pyropia species of seaweeds and it is quite likely in others that have yet to be adequately analyzed. B12 is important for blood flow in the brain and cognitive functions like language. Iodine. Found abundantly in seaweed, especially in brown seaweeds. A necessary element for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, which are essential for central nervous system development. Poly-unsaturated fatty-acids (PUFAs). The original sources of PUFAs are not, as often thought, fish and shellfish, but micro- and macroalgae like seaweed. Consumption of seaweeds and the human brain. Journal of Applied Phycology - January 2017, DOI: 10.1007/s10811-016-1049-3.
Bristol, UK (SPX) Mar 01, 2017 The first ever evidence of live birth in an animal group previously thought to lay eggs exclusively has been discovered by an international team of scientists, including a palaeontologist from the University of Bristol. The remarkable 250 million-year-old fossil from China shows an embryo inside the mother. Live birth is well known in mammals, where the mother has a placenta to nourish the ... read more Related Links University of Southern Denmark Explore The Early Earth at TerraDaily.com
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