Since the first fire was lit over food, heat has been humanity's ally in making the world safer and more nourishing to eat — yet every tool has its limits. Researchers at Kyoto University have found that industrial-scale heating of proteins, such as soy isolate treated at 121°C, diminishes the nutritional value the body can actually absorb and, in mice fed such a diet over six weeks, altered behavioral responses to social novelty. The finding quietly challenges a foundational assumption of modern food labeling: that the quantity of protein listed is a reliable proxy for the nourishment it deli