Smoke isn’t good for your lungs, everyone knows that. But smoke isn’t as bad as it could be. Researchers have identified enzymes in humans which break down potentially harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which we breath in with smoke from campfires or absorb when eating burned or charred meat. Our ancient hominin cousins, the Neanderthals, did not have this advantage.
So while Neanderthals, like Homo Sapiens, could light and control fires only we developed ways to deal with the resulting toxins and prevent (to a degree) smoke-related respiratory infections, fertility problems, and mortality. In the long run that gives us the advantage.
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