Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery about the diet of Australopithecus, our ancient human ancestors. By analyzing stable isotope data from fossilized tooth enamel, researchers found that their diet consisted mainly of plant-based foods.
According to Dr. Tina Lüdecke, a geochemist at the University of the Witwatersrand, “Tooth enamel is the hardest tissue of the mammalian body and can preserve the isotopic fingerprint of an animal’s diet for millions of years.” This means that the nitrogen isotope ratios in the tooth enamel provide clues about what our ancestors ate.
The study found that Australopithecus had a variable but plant-based diet, with consistently low nitrogen isotope ratios similar to those of herbivores. This suggests that they did not regularly hunt large mammals like Neanderthals did a few million years later.
While the researchers cannot rule out occasional consumption of animal protein sources like eggs or termites, the evidence indicates a predominantly vegetarian diet. Dr. Alfredo Martínez-García, a researcher at the Max Planck institute for Chemistry, noted that this study “opens up exciting possibilities for understanding human evolution” and could answer crucial questions about our ancestors’ diets.
The research provides clear evidence that Australopithecus did not contain significant amounts of meat in their diet. This finding is significant, as it sheds light on the early stages of human evolution and how our ancestors adapted to their environment.
Source: https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/australopithecus-diet-13591.html