The Study
Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus
This study looked at tiny bits of DNA stuck in the teeth of five Neanderthals who lived tens of thousands of years ago. It tells us what plants or animals they might have eaten and what germs lived in their mouths, but it doesn't prove why they ate those things or if it made them sick or healthy.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at plaque on Neanderthal teeth to find out what they ate and what germs lived in their mouths.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 539 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—this shows Neanderthals had varied diets based on environment and may have used plants to treat illness, similar to early human behavior.
- 2One group ate woolly rhino and sheep; another ate mushrooms and pine nuts.
- 3One Neanderthal with a tooth infection had plant DNA that might have been medicine.
- 4They also found a 48,000-year-old microbe.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nature
Year
2017
Authors
L. Weyrich, S. Duchêne, J. Soubrier, Luis A. Arriola, B. Llamas, J. Breen, A. Morris, K. Alt, D. Caramelli, Veit Dresely, M. Farrell, A. Farrer, M. Francken, N. Gully, W. Haak, K. Hardy, K. Harvati, Petra Held, E. Holmes, J. Kaidonis, C. Lalueza-Fox, M. Rasilla, A. Rosas, P. Semal, Arkadiusz Sołtysiak, G. Townsend, D. Usai, J. Wahl, D. Huson, K. Dobney, A. Cooper
Related Content
Claims (6)
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.
Analysis of ancient dental plaque shows that Neanderthals from Spain and Belgium had different types of oral bacteria, and these differences were linked to how much meat they ate.
DNA from yarrow and chamomile plants was found in the dental calculus of a Neanderthal who had a tooth infection and gut infection, indicating these plants were present in their mouth, possibly due to consumption or use.
Neanderthals had different types of bacteria in their mouths compared to modern humans and chimpanzees, with varying amounts of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, which reflects differences in their diets and daily habits over time.
Analysis of ancient plaque from Neanderthal teeth in Belgium revealed DNA from large herbivores like woolly rhinoceros, suggesting a meat-heavy diet, while plaque from Spain showed DNA from plants like mushrooms and pine nuts, suggesting a plant-based diet.
Scientists recovered and reconstructed a nearly complete genome of a microbe called Methanobrevibacter oralis from dental calculus found in the teeth of a 48,000-year-old Neanderthal. This is the oldest microbial genome ever recovered from ancient human remains.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.