Fish on the menu of our ancestors

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News ^ | Tuesday, July 7, 2009 | Sandra Jacob

[SunkenCiv]

The isotopic analysis of the diet of one of the earliest modern humans in Asia, the 40,000 year old skeleton from Tianyuan Cave near Beijing, has shown that at least this individual was a regular fish consumer. Michael Richards of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology explains "Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of the human and associated faunal remains indicate a diet high in animal protein, and the high nitrogen isotope values suggest the consumption of freshwater fish." To confirm this inference the researchers measured the sulphur isotope values of terrestrial and freshwater animals around the Zhoukoudian area and of the Tianyuan human.

Since fish appeared on the menu of modern humans before consistent evidence for effective fishing gear appeared, fishing at this level must have involved considerable effort. This shift to more fish in the diet likely reflects greater pressure from an expanding population at the time of modern human emergence across Eurasia. "This analysis provides the first direct evidence for the consumption of aquatic resources by early modern humans in China and has implications for early modern human subsistence and demography", says Richards.

[SunkenCiv]

...or, the fishing equipment was made of stuff that probably couldn't survive the whole span of time.

[SunkenCiv]

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[mamelukesabre]

And why wouldn’t fish be on the menu?

It’s the closest thing to a free lunch since the garden of eden.

[csvset]

before consisIent evidence for effective fishing gear appeared,

In other words, they don't know how they caught the fish.

Simple, the guys were hungry and they figured out some way of catching them.

[JoeProBono]

Beijing YuNan Spicy Fish

[nomorelurker]

This is the most “well duh” post ever on Free republic.

[SunkenCiv]

If fish is brain food, is brain fish food?

[SunkenCiv]

They probably learned how in some school.

[MaxMax]

MMMmmm, spicy fish.

[JoeProBono]

[blam]

Tianyuan Man

[wildbill]

The story hooked me.

[wildbill]

See the cable TV show about “Okie Noodling”.

If you’re hungry enough, or crazy enough, you just dive down to a catfish hole and stick your hand in the mouth of a big ol’ catfish and bring him up.

[doodad]

[colorado tanker]

...or, the fishing equipment was made of stuff that probably couldn't survive the whole span of time

Fishing would be a whole lot more appealing to me than mammoth hunting.

Hey, who brought the beer??

[SunkenCiv]

Nothin’ like a fresh mammoth steak fresh off the barbee.

[colorado tanker]

I wonder if they used vinegar or ketchup based sauce?

[SunkenCiv]

The excerpt would have been longer, but I had to scale it down.

[SunkenCiv]

Ketchup is from the tomato, so they probably invented tartar sauce in prehistoric times.

[mysterio]

I prefer canned salmon.