Human predecessors may have survived long enough to evolve into bigger-brained creatures not by eating meat, but by being flexible about what they ate.
For you kids keeping score at home, that’s one for the vegetable eaters and minus one for those who only want chicken fingers.
The new findings come courtesy of tooth enamel analyses of Australopithecus [Ahs-trah-low-pith-eh-cuss], our early relatives who lived in Africa as many as 3.7 million years ago.
German scientists knew Australopithicus had teeth and jaws capable of handling a meaty diet. They also had human-like hands and walked upright. It had long been assumed that our ancestors somewhere along the way developed a taste for meat, leading to more protein and thus, bigger brains.
But that was until recently, when scientists learned to target tiny amounts of organic matter trapped in dense tooth enamel, which stays intact for many years.
They tested 43 specimens from Sterkfontein [Sterk-fuhn-taine], South Africa, including seven Australopithecus teeth. They compared them with animal fossils from that era, including dogs, cats, hyenas and antelope.
Australopithecus, it seems, wasn’t picky and consumed a highly diverse diet of plants. Trees, shrubs, plants, fruits — anything in season. They likely used their manlike-hands to dig for bulbs and tubers other animals couldn’t easily find.
Surely, they had the occasional lucky day and scored an egg or termites to nosh on. But mostly, we’re talking stems, leaves and grass.
And that, the scientists say, was more likely what led to their longevity — and ours.
They hope to keep digging for answers about why, when and how the evolution to a more carnivorous diet began. Human predecessors may have survived long enough to evolve into bigger-brained creatures not by eating meat, but by being flexible about what they ate.
For you kids keeping score at home, that’s one for the vegetable eaters and minus one for those who only want chicken fingers.
The new findings come courtesy of tooth enamel analyses of Australopithecus [Ahs-trah-low-pith-eh-cuss], our early relatives who lived in Africa as many as 3.7 million years ago.
German scientists knew Australopithicus had teeth and jaws capable of handling a meaty diet. They also had human-like hands and walked upright. It had long been assumed that our ancestors somewhere along the way developed a taste for meat, leading to more protein and thus, bigger brains.
But that was until recently, when scientists learned to target tiny amounts of organic matter trapped in dense tooth enamel, which stays intact for many years.
They tested 43 specimens from Sterkfontein [Sterk-fuhn-taine], South Africa, including seven Australopithecus teeth. They compared them with animal fossils from that era, including dogs, cats, hyenas and antelope.
Australopithecus, it seems, wasn’t picky and consumed a highly diverse diet of plants. Trees, shrubs, plants, fruits — anything in season. They likely used their manlike-hands to dig for bulbs and tubers other animals couldn’t easily find. Surely, they had the occasional lucky day and scored an egg or termites to nosh on. But mostly, we’re talking stems, leaves and grass.
And that, the scientists say, was more likely what led to their longevity — and ours.
They hope to keep digging for answers about why, when and how the evolution to a more carnivorous diet began.
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