Analysis of ancient dental plaque from a hominin fossil dated to 1.2 million years ago revealed traces of uncooked plant starches, fibers, and animal tissue, suggesting the individual's diet included...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
When ancient humans ate raw plants and meat, tiny bits of food got stuck in their teeth. Over time, minerals from saliva turned those bits into hard deposits that kept their original shapes, proving the food was never cooked. The starch and fibers looked exactly as they would in raw plants and...
Most probable mechanism
When a person eats raw plants and meat, tiny pieces of food get stuck in the crevices of their teeth. Over time, minerals in saliva harden around these food bits, turning them into a chalky deposit that preserves the original shapes of starch grains, plant fibers, and meat fragments without changing them.
Food particles from raw grasses, plant fibers, and meat are mechanically trapped in the interproximal and occlusal surfaces of teeth during mastication
Salivary minerals, primarily calcium phosphate, precipitate onto the trapped organic residues, forming a calcified matrix that encases and preserves their microstructure
Absence of thermal alteration in starch granules, plant fibers, and protein residues indicates no exposure to heat sufficient to cause gelatinization, charring, or denaturation
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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