>Until now, it has always been suspected that this consumption increased the cognitive abilities of the human populations in Africa. &quot;Among other influences, this could explain the early appearance of a culture of modern people that used symbolic artefacts, such as body painting with ochre, the use of ornaments or the decoration of containers made of ostrich eggs with geometric motifs,&quot; explains Hoffmann. &quot;Such behaviour reflects human's capacity for abstract thought and communication through symbols, which also contributed to the emergence of more organised and complex societies of modern humans&quot;.