In the process of human formation, an important role was played by the fact that human ancestors consumed both plant and animal food, this is the period of the Early Paleolithic. Such a variety of food had a huge impact on the development of the entire human ancestral body and especially the brain. Fishing, which has been developed since the end of the Paleolithic, also provided ancient man with new food containing substances important for his development. But the main thing was that ancient man mastered fire and began to cook on it: roast and bake meat, fish, plants. This was carried out on coals, in hot ashes, on red-hot stones, in pits lined with stones. These ancient forms of cooking have been preserved for a long time by some peoples of Australia and Oceania. Animals, even the higher ones, are afraid of fire and avoid meeting it in every possible way. Therefore, fried and boiled food can be eaten only occasionally as a result of waste or stealing food from a person."
An interdisciplinary research group, studying the lacustrine deposits of Lake Jiang Ko on the Tibetan plateau, for the first time managed to obtain a "climatic record" for the last 2000 years. The analysis of the data obtained helped shed light on the causes of the rise and collapse of the Tibetan Empire. The researchers published their findings in the journal Science Bulletin, and a condensed version of the work report is presented on the resource Phys.org . Employees of several scientific organizations participated in the study, including the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Studies of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The team took samples of the bottom sediments of Lake Jiang Ko on the central Tibetan plateau. The samples were then analyzed and photographed in the laboratory. This has helped to compile a real climate record for the last 2000 years. Her analysis showed that the Tibetan plateau had a warm and humid climate in the VII-IX centuries AD. However, then it was replaced by a noticeable cold snap, after which the region was gripped by drought for a long time. The researchers noticed that the climatic data are consistent with archaeological and historical information. In particular, the onset of a warm and humid climate coincides with the heyday of the Tibetan Empire, and the cooling period coincides with the collapse of this powerful state. It is known from written Chinese sources that the Tibetan Empire existed from the 7th to the 9th century. It was a mighty state whose borders extended far beyond the Tibetan Plateau. Many regions of East, Central and South Asia were part of it. The state was ruled alternately by several great emperors, whose exploits are described a lot in ancient sources. The first great emperor was Songtsen Gampo (618-650 AD), who expanded the power of Tibet beyond Lhasa and the Yarlung Valley. By the way, it is believed that he brought Buddhism to Tibet. After him, the power of the empire only grew, but in the IX century it suddenly collapsed. Until now, it was believed that numerous wars could have caused the collapse. However, a new study proves that at least one of the main reasons for the rise and fall of the Tibetan Empire could be climate change. Isotopic analysis of carbon and oxygen, as well as information about temperature and precipitation over the past 2000 years, allowed us to reconstruct the climate model. And she showed that the period from the VII to the IX century of our era was unusually favorable for life and agriculture. Changes in the foreign policy of the Tibetan Empire were probably directly related to climate change. Scientists have found that during a favorable period, very rich harvests of high-altitude barley were grown on the Tibetan plateau. This also contributed to the development of animal husbandry. The economy was booming, it became the base for the growth of military power. But with the onset of cold weather, and then prolonged droughts, the area of barley cultivation decreased by a gigantic 10.88 million hectares. This had a negative impact on agriculture and animal husbandry, and the empire could not survive in such conditions.