Evidenced by a growth in brain volume, our higher cognitive abilities developed because we hunted and we extinct the megafauna, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University.

This would occur about two million years ago, until the arrival of agriculture, about 10,000 years ago. The reason: we had to develop our brains to hunt smaller animals.

Megafauna in decline

The megafauna They are "giant", "very large" or "big" animals. The term is especially associated in current scientific literature with the megafauna of the late Pleistocene and Holocene that have been becoming extinct in a process known as Quaternary mass extinction.

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In Africa, 2.6 million years ago, when humans emerged, the average size of land mammals was close to 500 kg. But then, just when the agricultural revolution began, that figure had been reduced by more than 90%, up to several tens of kilos.

For the sake of getting calories, well, Humans were forced to hunt smaller, faster animals., which required greater cognitive abilities, more cunning, an evolutionary process that required a greater volume of the human brain and then led to the development of language that allowed humans to exchange information to find prey and collaborate to hunt them. More sophisticated hunting tools were also required, that is, greater intelligence to develop them.

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How agriculture made us shorter than we were

As it explains Miki Ben-Dor, from the Department of Archeology and author of the study:

As the size of animals continued to decrease, the invention of the bow and arrow and the domestication of dogs allowed for more efficient hunting of medium and small animals. until these populations also decreased. Towards the end of the Stone Age, when animals became even smaller, humans had to put more energy into hunting than they could recover.

That's when the Agricultural revolution, which involved the domestication of both animals and plants, and which brought with it other side effects (many of which were negative).

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The news

Our higher cognitive abilities developed because we made large animals extinct

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.

Masturbation causes a surge of dopamine and oxytocin. This improves our mood. Oxytocin, in fact, reduces cortisol, a stress hormone generally present during times of anxiety, fear, panic or distress.

This, in turn, can help boost our immune system because cortisol actually helps maintain your immune system if released in small doses, allowing us to protect ourselves against certain diseases or infections (Has anyone thought about the coronavirus?).

Masturbation and white blood cells

According to A study carried out by the Department of Medical Psychology of the University Clinic of Essen (in Germany), Masturbation increased white blood cell count and strengthened the immune system.

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Masturbating is not the same as having sex.

During this experiment, each participant's white blood cell count was analyzed through measurements taken 5 minutes before and 45 minutes after achieving a self-induced orgasm.

The results confirmed that sexual arousal and orgasm increased the number of white blood cells, particularly natural killer cells that help fight infections.

The immune system is organized through a balanced network of cells and organs that work together to defend against infections and diseases by stopping threats such as bacteria and viruses from entering your system.

While there are many things we must do to keep our immune system functioning at optimal levels, Masturbation (or other means of achieving orgasm) has been shown to have positive effects.

Meanwhile, bad habits (such as a disordered sleep schedule) can do just the opposite. So, given the pleasure it brings, sex seems like a better option.

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The news

Masturbation can help protect you from viral and bacterial infections

was originally published in

Xataka Science

by
Sergio Parra

.