They Discovered The Diet Of The Neanderthals

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

When it comes to our Neanderthal ancestors, most of us imagine primitive human beings attacking freshly captured and killed animals. However, a new study shows that the caveman's menu was far more varied.

After scientists analyzed an ancient fossil of excrement belonging to some of the first humans, it became clear that the diet of Neanderthals consisted not only of meat but also of nuts and vegetables.

The stool samples found in Spain are about fifty thousand years old and are the oldest samples available to science. Their analysis leads scientists to suggest that our ancestors tried to eat a varied and healthy diet.

Specialists from the University of La Laguna in Spain and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were able to detect fecal biomarkers from five samples found in El Sol, southern Spain, using analytical techniques.

The researchers looked at each sample for metabolized versions of cholesterol of animal origin, as well as for phytosterol, which is a compound found in plants.

Although most samples showed signs of Neanderthal meat consumption, two of them contained traces of plant use. This is the first evidence of its kind that the ancients enjoyed a variety of foods.

We are going through different stages in our interpretation of Neanderthals, says Ainara Sistiaga, a student at the University of La Laguna.

It is important to understand all the reasons that led the human race to dominate the planet. We suggest that this is largely related to the change in diet that has been observed over time, said Roger Sammons, a professor of geobiology and co-author of the study.

Many times before, scientists have tried to decipher the diet of Neanderthals, but due to lack of sufficient evidence, they could not draw definitive conclusions. Other recent studies have shown the presence of plant microfossils between Neanderthal teeth.

According to experts, this may be evidence that the first people consumed plants directly. But scientists do not hide that it is possible that these particles got there by accident, because our prehistoric relatives often used their teeth as tools and grabbed plants and other objects with them.