Tag: fire
Remarkably, Humans Are Just the Right Size to Make and Master Fire
Only an organism of our dimensions and android design — 1.5 to 2 meters in height with arms about 1 meter-long ending in manipulative tools — can handle fire.
How Man Became the Fire-Maker
Being terrestrial is one obvious requirement. No fully aquatic species could master fire and thus develop metallurgy.
Nature’s Magic and Its Breathtaking Parsimony
Without this ensemble of fitness in nature, there would be no wood, no fire, no metallurgy, no modern technology.
The Amazing Circulation System of Trees
Clearly, unless water can be drawn several meters up the conduits in their tree trunks, large woody trees would be impossible.
The Role of Lignin for Fire, Explained
Without lignin, there would be no woody plants, no wood, no coal, no charcoal, no fire, no pottery, and certainly no iron or metallurgy.