Researchers believe humans’ closest relatives may have stored meat from their kills for months before eating it

Researchers believe humans’ closest relatives may have stored meat from their kills for months before eating it

For hungry Neanderthals, there was more on the menu than wild mammals, roasted pigeon, seafood and plants. Chemical signatures in the ancient bones point to a nutritious and somewhat inevitable side dish: handfuls of fresh maggots.

The theory from US researchers undermines previous thinking that Neanderthals were “hypercarnivores” who stood at the top of the food chain with cave lions, sabre-toothed tigers and other beasts that consumed impressive quantities of meat.

Rather than feasting on endless mammoth steaks, they stored their kills for months, the scientists believe, favouring the fatty parts over lean meat, and the maggots that riddled the putrefying carcasses.

  • sandwich.make(bathing_in_bismuth)@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    161·
    8 months ago

    “The only reason this is surprising is that it contradicts what we westerners think of as food,”

    Buried fermented shark, fermented herring, Italian maggot cheese etc etc.

    “We westerners” amounts to Kraft eating Americans in this article

    • sturger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      4·
      8 months ago

      “We westerners” amounts to Kraft eating Americans in this article. True. American corporations are taking over America.

      “We westerners” amounts to Kraft-eating Americans in this article.
      True. Americans tend to have very bland palettes.

      I had to re-read that sentence.

    • squaresinger@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      8 months ago

      But at least they ferment the milk (aka use old, spoiled milk) for the chocolate to give it the distinctive taste of vomit.

  • sturger@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    7·
    8 months ago

    favouring the fatty parts over lean meat, and the maggots that riddled the putrefying carcasses.

    The next new diet fads are going to be really interesting:

    “Bruh! You gotta try the latest True Paleo™ diet…”

  • theUwUhugger@lemmy.worldEnglish
    71·
    8 months ago

    Superb article, really!

    -Humans were on top of the food chain, even if they didn’t consume proportionally as much meat as carnivores, as they are fucking carnivores… -Maggots are meat…

  • yermaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    51·
    8 months ago

    So they were farming maggots?

    We could have a bit of yummy meat today and then its gone, or we could leave it and have maggots for months.

    Pretty smart, if gross.

    • MysteriousSophon21@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      Actually, maggots are super nutritious - they’re like 50% protein and have tons of essential fats that would’ve been crucial for brain development, so it was probably more of a win-win than just a storage solution!