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Neandertals' Main Food Source Was Definitely Meat
EurekAlert! ^ | February 18, 2019 | Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Posted on 02/20/2019 10:17:16 AM PST by SunkenCiv

Neandertals' ...are traditionally considered carnivores and hunters of large mammals, but this hypothesis has recently been challenged by numerous pieces of evidence of plant consumption. Ancient diets are often reconstructed using nitrogen isotope ratios, a tracer of the trophic level, the position an organism occupies in a food chain. Neandertals are apparently occupying a high position in terrestrial food chains, exhibiting slightly higher ratios than carnivores (like hyenas, wolves or foxes) found at the same sites. It has been suggested that these slightly higher values were due to the consumption of mammoth or putrid meat. And we also know some examples of cannibalism for different Neandertal sites.

Paleolithic modern humans, who arrived in France shortly after the Neandertals had disappeared, exhibit even higher nitrogen isotope ratios than Neandertals. This is classically interpreted as the signature of freshwater fish consumption. Fishing is supposed to be a typical modern human activity, but again, a debate exists whether or not Neandertals were eating aquatic resources. When Klervia Jaouen, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and first author of the study, and collaborators discovered high nitrogen isotope ratios in the collagen of two Neandertals falling in the range of modern humans, they wondered whether this could a signature of regular fish consumption...

...a novel isotope technique. Compound-specific isotope analyses (CSIA) allow to separately analyze the amino acids contained in the collagen. Some of the amino acid isotope compositions are influenced by environmental factors and the isotope ratios of the food eaten. Other amino acid isotope ratios are in addition influenced by the trophic level. The combination of these amino acid isotope ratios allows to decipher the contribution of the environment and the trophic level to the final isotope composition of the collagen.

(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: aminoacids; carnivorous; collagen; dietandcuisine; farmers; geicogastronomy; godsgravesglyphs; isotoperatios; klerviajaouen; maxplanckinstitute; meat; meatmeatmeat; neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals; nephilim; nitrogen; omniverous
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To: sparklite2

And I think more intelligent than assumed. We now know they were even making rope. How many could even figure out how to make rope right now?


41 posted on 02/20/2019 11:15:38 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: I want the USA back
Humans are omnivores

I could argue we are actually carnivores capable of imperfectly digesting an omnivore diet. You'll remain in perfect health eating just meat through gluconeogenesis, whereas carbohydrate foods are the root cause of most dietary issues. We can eat carbs and work with it but those foods are not optimal to the human body.

42 posted on 02/20/2019 11:16:00 AM PST by Teflonic (tt)
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To: central_va
Like so many other discoveries, trying lobster for the first time resulted from some teen boys double-daring one another.

43 posted on 02/20/2019 11:17:10 AM PST by SunkenCiv (and btw -- https://www.gofundme.com/for-rotator-cuff-repair-surgery)
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To: SunkenCiv

I need to read this like I need a New York cut steak...

Thanks for the ping, SC.

‘Face

;o]


44 posted on 02/20/2019 11:17:14 AM PST by Monkey Face (If you have half a mind to do something it would be wise to consult the other half before acting.)
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To: SunkenCiv

45 posted on 02/20/2019 11:18:49 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Teflonic

This is what I think also. Look at the digestive issues some plants give us. Like beans fermenting instead of digesting, and corn if not chewed well.


46 posted on 02/20/2019 11:24:12 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: central_va

‘it was a brave man who first an oyster et”


47 posted on 02/20/2019 11:24:46 AM PST by bert ( (KE. N.P. N.C. +12) Honduras must be invaded to protect America from invasion)
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To: SunkenCiv

***Compound-specific isotope analyses (CSIA) allow to separately analyze the amino acids contained in the collagen.***

Wasn’t something like this used to prove American Indians in the South West were cannibals? I know some of the tribes really got upset over it.

They came up wit the story the cannibals were a raiding party of Aztecs.


48 posted on 02/20/2019 11:26:47 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: SunkenCiv

49 posted on 02/20/2019 11:27:31 AM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: ETL

Great minds!!


50 posted on 02/20/2019 11:28:00 AM PST by nesnah (Liberals - the petulant children of politics)
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To: budj

Ever wonder why vegans want their highly processed soy tofu to taste like MEAT?

Never heard of a person ordering a STEAK and demand it taste like cabbage.


51 posted on 02/20/2019 11:28:48 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: blam
Keep that up, your dogs will be giving you funny looks. ;^)

52 posted on 02/20/2019 11:30:23 AM PST by SunkenCiv (and btw -- https://www.gofundme.com/for-rotator-cuff-repair-surgery)
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To: SunkenCiv

The Veganderthals’ remains didn’t make it.


53 posted on 02/20/2019 11:31:24 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: Teflonic

That goes against all the convention ‘wisdom’ of the four food groups, food pyramid, etc. But its a very interesting thesis and I am wondering if there are serious studies to show that. I have a family member who decided to go vegan several years back and I think she has suffered immune issues as a result, or at least partially as a result of that decision. I have been gently trying to persuade this person to reconsider the vegan lifestyle for health reasons.


54 posted on 02/20/2019 11:32:06 AM PST by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: ETL
Ah, Hollywood's only documentary!

55 posted on 02/20/2019 11:32:09 AM PST by SunkenCiv (and btw -- https://www.gofundme.com/for-rotator-cuff-repair-surgery)
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
"Wasn’t something like this used to prove American Indians in the South West were cannibals?"

Man Corn: Cannibalism And Violence In The Prehistoric American Southwest

"This study of prehistoric violence, homicide, and cannibalism explodes the myth that the Anasazi and other Southwest Indians were simple, peaceful farmers."

56 posted on 02/20/2019 11:33:42 AM PST by blam
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To: Yaelle

"VEGAN TRIBE COOKOUT IN THE WILDERNESS"

--youtube



57 posted on 02/20/2019 11:35:10 AM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: Monkey Face
It was the smell of the meat cooking that drew Cro Magnon into Europe in the first place...

58 posted on 02/20/2019 11:35:11 AM PST by SunkenCiv (and btw -- https://www.gofundme.com/for-rotator-cuff-repair-surgery)
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To: All

59 posted on 02/20/2019 11:35:58 AM PST by ETL (Obama-Hillary, REAL Russia collusion! Uranium-One Deal, Missile Defense, Iran Deal, Nukes: Click ETL)
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To: SunkenCiv
"Keep that up, your dogs will be giving you funny looks. ;^)"

Ha. They get a (de-boned) baked chicken leg quarter each daily as a treat...they love me.

60 posted on 02/20/2019 11:37:24 AM PST by blam
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