Knowledge Tree
Neanderthals
Also known as: Neanderthal, Neandertals
Facts (34)
Sources
The role of Plant Foods in the evolution and Dispersal of early Humans kernsverlag.com Jul 30, 2022 23 facts
measurementNeanderthals possess only two AMY1 gene copy numbers.
claimThere is increasing direct evidence that Neanderthals consumed plant foods, leading to a growing awareness of similarities in the dietary niches of modern and archaic humans in Eurasia.
claimThe dietary pattern of Upper Paleolithic modern human populations in Europe differed from Neanderthals, as modern humans relied more on small prey, aquatic resources, and plant carbohydrates, as evidenced by the increased frequency of grinding stone technologies.
referenceSalazar-García et al. (2021) analyzed dietary evidence from Neanderthals in Central Asia using a combined approach of isotope analysis and plant microremains at Chagyrskaya Cave in the Altai region of Russia.
referenceThe division of labor among Neanderthals and modern humans in Eurasia is the subject of the 2006 study 'What’s a Mother to Do? The Division of Labor among Neandertals and Modern Humans in Eurasia' published in Current Anthropology.
claimThe presence of amylase-binding protein genes in the oral microbiomes of both modern humans and Neanderthals suggests that starch consumption increased prior to the evolutionary split between the two groups.
referencePlant foods were a significant component of the dietary ecology of both Neanderthals and early modern humans, as detailed in a 2014 study by A. G. Henry, A. S. Brooks, and D. R. Piperno.
claimNeanderthals were high-trophic level carnivores, as confirmed by exceptionally high δ15N values in collagen single amino acids, according to the 2019 study 'Exceptionally High δ15N Values in Collagen Single Amino Acids Confirm Neandertals as High-Trophic Level Carnivores' published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA.
claimThe foraging practices observed in early modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic represent a continuation of behaviors already displayed by Neanderthals.
referencePower et al. (2018) analyzed dental calculus to demonstrate widespread plant use within the dietary niche of Neanderthals.
claimA copy number expansion in the AMY1 gene occurred after the evolutionary split between Neanderthals and modern humans approximately 650,000 years ago, but prior to the migration of humans out of Africa.
claimNeanderthals exploited a range of local resources, including hard-to-process plant foods like grass seeds, as well as fish and animal prey that required specific capture technologies.
referenceY. I. Naito and colleagues investigated the ecological niche of Neanderthals from Spy Cave using nitrogen isotopes of individual amino acids in collagen in a 2016 study.
claimDirect comparison of dental calculus from Middle and Upper Paleolithic Europe shows no obvious difference between modern humans and Neanderthals in the range of plant taxa consumed or in evidence for cooking practices.
referenceMadella, M., Jones, M. K., Goldberg, P., Goren, Y., and Hovers, E. (2002) utilized phytolith studies to provide evidence of plant resource exploitation by Neanderthals at Amud Cave, Israel.
claimNeanderthals across Eurasia consumed a range of plant foods and fungi, including fruits, nuts, wild grass seeds, legumes, underground storage organs (USOs), and mushrooms, as evidenced by microfossils and eukaryotic aDNA preserved in dental calculus.
referenceNeanderthals consumed food, cooked meals, and medicinal plants, as evidenced by analysis of dental calculus, according to a 2012 study by J. et al. published in Naturwissenschaften.
referenceWißing et al. (2016) provided isotopic evidence regarding the dietary ecology of late Neanderthals in North-Western Europe, published in Quaternary International.
claimThe dietary specialization and flexibility observed in Homo sapiens and Neanderthals (and likely Denisovans) allowed these hominids to adapt to a wide range of global environments.
claimIt is unclear whether an increased gendered division of labor and specialization in plant foods caused the out-competition of Neanderthals in Eurasia, or if the increased archaeological visibility of these behaviors was a result of modern human population growth following Neanderthal extinction.
claimModern humans and Neanderthals possess abundant oral Streptococci bacteria, which are absent in non-human primates; these bacteria contain amylase-binding protein genes that capture salivary amylase for nutrition and dental adhesion.
referenceThe study 'Selective Sweep on Human Amylase Genes Postdates the Split with Neanderthals' published in Science Reports in 2016 by Inchley et al. concludes that the selective sweep on human amylase genes occurred after the evolutionary split between humans and Neanderthals.
claimThe 'hyper-carnivore hypothesis' posits that Homo erectus and later Middle Paleolithic hominins, including Neanderthals and early modern humans, derived over 70% of their caloric intake from animal foods (Ben-Dor et al. 2011, 2021; Ben-Dor and Barkai 2021).
The Evolution of Human Nutrition carta.anthropogeny.org Dec 7, 2012 4 facts
claimNeanderthals inhabited a wide geographical range stretching from the Levant to northern Europe and eastward to Iraq, spanning both glacial and interglacial periods.
claimNeanderthals are commonly presented as top carnivores based on analyses of the organic fraction of their bones.
claimNeanderthals selected foods relatively high in protein from both plant and animal sources, similar to modern humans.
claimNeanderthal subsistence strategies varied based on local environments and included combinations of plant and animal foods throughout their range.
To Follow the Real Early Human Diet, Eat Everything scientificamerican.com Jun 25, 2024 3 facts
claimThe presence of starch-consuming Streptococcus bacteria in Neandertals and modern humans indicates that the genus Homo had adapted to consuming abundant starchy plant foods by the time Neandertals and modern humans diverged from their last common ancestor approximately 600,000 years ago.
claimStreptococcus bacteria found in the mouths of Neandertals and modern humans consume sugars from starchy foods, including roots, seeds, and tubers.
claimNeandertals and modern humans possess a group of Streptococcus bacteria in their mouths that is absent in nonhuman primates.
Psychoactive plants in Ancient World: notes from an Ethnobotanist academia.edu 2 facts
Homo erectus, our ancient ancestor | Natural History Museum nhm.ac.uk 1 fact
claimHomo erectus skulls were long and low, rather than rounded, and their lower jaws lacked a chin, similar to the skull structure of Neanderthals.
Psychedelics, Sociality, and Human Evolution frontiersin.org 1 fact
referenceHardy, Buckley, and Huffman published 'Neanderthal self-medication in context' in the journal Antiquity in 2013.