The DNA of chimpanzees,
Two copies of a gene discloses
That makes an enzyme, amylase,
Which causes starch to yield glucose.
Man these copies has aplenty,
In fact, some people almost twenty,
And that shows civilization's march.
When Man started eating starch...
Mark Thomas of University College
Described this scientific knowledge
In a learned dissertation,
Offering an explanation:
Ancient man's brain grew in size
Some 800,000 years ago,
And Dr. Thomas does surmise
That this happened to be so,
When Man finally understood
That it made sense to cook his food,
And cooked starch helped to attain
The growth in the size of our brain.
Cooking starch makes a comestible
Twenty times more digestible.
Thus sequences, in DNA contained,
Help ancient diet to explain...