A review by ddrake
Burn: The New Science of Human Metabolism by Herman Pontzer

4.5

What I liked best about this is how it connected human evolution with metabolism. Sharing food was the critical change! Apes and our other close relatives don't share food, but we do. And by doing so, it makes various food acquisition strategies (for example, putting a bit of extra effort into getting a LOT of food you can share, instead of just enough for yourself) and metabolic strategies make sense. It also unlocks the value of bipedalism and sweatiness (so we're better hunters) and creates a positive reinforcement loop for sociality -- the value of sharing food is increased as your social structures get more refined and more complex.

So, ignore the somewhat clickbait-y title. This is serious, solid science at the intersection of biology, anthropology, and evolution.