Reply to comment

After very nicely recapitulating Wrangham's arguments about the reasons a raw food diet could not work for the species as a whole, C. Bertelsen concludes:

What we see today with the plentiful food (e.g., calories especially) available in grocery stores and all is very, very unusual in the history of humankind.

That ties in very nicely with Wrangham's epilogue as i discuss it in my review:

Modern living, including the technology of cooking, has evolved faster than our bodies. His conclusion: "We must find ways to make our ancient dependence on cooked food healthier."

In any case, I'm delighted that my review has led to a spirited and interesting discussion.

Fred Bortz
Science Books for Young Readers
and
Science Book Reviews