Campfire conversations may have given a leap to human language

A team of scientists developed a new hypothesis about the role that firelight may have played in the evolution of human language. Charles Darwin described the discovery of fire as probably the greatest discovery made by humans, except for language. In the new study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, researchers propose that storytelling around the campfire may have created favorable conditions for the development of sophisticated forms of narrative and, subsequently, of some of the distinctive characteristics of human language. Previous work had already recognized the importance of campfires for socialization and protection, but this study focuses specifically on the relationship between firelight and the development of language.