There are lots of theories floating around about what makes human beings unique. Some argue that humanity is special because it is a meaning making species. Others argue that human uniqueness hinges upon our language ability or the fact that we use complicated tools. An article the Economist puts through a new theory. The article begins:

YOU are what you eat, or so the saying goes. But Richard Wrangham, of Harvard University, believes that this is true in a more profound sense than the one implied by the old proverb. It is not just you who are what you eat, but the entire human species. And with Homo sapiens, what makes the species unique in Dr Wrangham’s opinion is that its food is so often cooked.

I think it is an intriguing theory and suggests to me, perhaps, why the act of table fellowship and food purity laws are so important to some religious communities.