Taming Fire: The first scientist?

Taming Fire: The first scientist?                                                
by Mary Betb Cox
Oddysey: Adventures in Science
October 2009
Pages 29-30

Using fire has been very risky since it was used. The early human who discovered fire changed the lifestyle 

of all humans today. Building was improved and cooking and lots more. But naturally occurring fires like 

wildfires started occurring long before early humans learned to make fire themselves. Lightning from 

thunderstorm would set dry vegetables on fire. Wild fires spread very quickly. Most of the animals wouldn't

survive, so the early humans would eat what is left over of them. Humans used fire for about 250,000 years.

A quarter of a million years ago, hearths started appearing. Hearth fires heat objects to a higher temperature

than wildfires. In the hearths there were charred bone or singed stone tools. And unburned tools and bones are 

found scattered elsewhere nearby. This shows that they first killed the animal with a stone tool before 

cooking it. Cooking food took away food-born parasites like bacteria and worms and destroyed toxins 

that are in the meat. This is evidence of fire. With all the evidence that has been collected, it may be that fire

came long before 1,000,000 years ago. Fire can be very dangerous, but when u put it to good use and make use 

of it correctly, u wont go wrong.

Cox, Mary Betb. "Taming fire: the first scientist?" Odyssey: Adventures in Science Oct. 2009: n. 

pag. Print.