  Remember Noam Chomsky was a linguist before a public policy analyst. urlLink This Guardian article says humans were talking 2.5 million years ago. The real shocker though, is that the appearance of art in the archeological record is the indicator. According to the London Health Protection Agency, ice in more than half the urlLink pubs contained micro-organisms that could cause gastrointestinal problems.
Before you go freaking out, let's just remember that if one avoids antibiotics and lives a lifestyle that promotes good bacteria to inhabit the intestines, one can consume a good deal of micro bugs without ever noticing a thing. The FDA in our own country allows a pretty high percentage of bugs in grans and flours because 1) they're impossible to keep away, and 2) they don't do any measurable harm. 
