Evidence shows that Neanderthals used plants for food or other purposes in all areas where they lived, not just in warmer southern regions, indicating their plant use was widespread.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Neanderthals ate plants everywhere they lived — whether it was cold or warm — because they chewed and swallowed them regularly, leaving traces in their teeth. This shows their diet wasn’t limited by where they were, but was flexible no matter the environment.
Most probable mechanism
Neanderthals chewed and swallowed a wide variety of plants no matter where they lived, and the bits of those plants got stuck in their teeth, showing they ate them regularly in both cold and warm places.
Plant materials are ingested and mechanically processed in the oral cavity, leaving microscopic residues embedded in dental calculus.
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
Community contributions welcome
Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche.
Contradicting (0)
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Gold Standard Evidence Needed
According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.