What did our ancient ancestors eat?
Diet and environment 1.2 million years ago revealed through analysis of dental calculus from Europe’s oldest hominin at Sima del Elefante, Spain
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists found tiny bits of food stuck in a 1.2-million-year-old hominin's tooth plaque.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
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A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists found tiny bits of food stuck in a 1.2-million-year-old hominin's tooth plaque.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Publication
Authors
Hardy K, Radini A, Buckley S, Blasco R, Copeland L, Burjachs F, Girbal J, Yll R, Carbonell E, Bermúdez de Castro JM
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Claims (7)
Between 1.2 million and a few hundred thousand years ago, early human ancestors like Homo and Neanderthals relied mainly on meat and other animal foods for nutrition, while earlier ancestors like Australopithecus ate mostly plants.
Throughout most of human evolutionary history, the diet of early human ancestors consisted mainly of animal-based foods, with meat being the main source of nutrition.
Scientists found pieces of non-food wood in the dental calculus of a 1.2-million-year-old hominin fossil, positioned near a groove between teeth, which may indicate the use of tools for cleaning teeth or processing materials.
Plant fibers found in ancient hominin dental calculus might have come from processing materials like plants for tools or other non-food uses, rather than from eating them.
Analysis of ancient dental plaque from a hominin fossil dated to 1.2 million years ago revealed undamaged starch granules from wild grasses, suggesting these plants were eaten raw and not cooked or ground.