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New Research Reveals That Neanderthals Extracted Fat From Bones 125,000 Years Ago To Avoid Protein Poisoning
A new discovery may change what we know about the eating habits of Neanderthals. Researchers revealed that groups living 125,000 years ago in present-day Germany knew how to extract fat from animal bones. The study was published this week in the journal Science.
The technique used by Neanderthals may have been essential for the survival of the species. According to the authors, they crushed bones to reach the bone marrow and then boiled the material to extract the fat.
This would indicate that they were organized and knew how to maximize each resource obtained through hunting.
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Risk of Poisoning
The discovery is important for a specific reason: the so-called “protein poisoning.” This condition can arise when a person consumes too much meat and too little fat or carbohydrates. The problem is also known as “rabbit starvation.”
As Neanderthals had a meat-based diet, the risk of poisoning was high. The creation of a method to extract fat shows that they sought alternatives to maintain balance in their diet. Eating only protein, without fat, can lead to death in extreme cases.
This practice of extracting more nutrients from bones has been nicknamed “fat factory” by scientists. The technique reveals that Neanderthals had strategies to survive, even in harsh environments.
Bones, Tools, and Fire
The research team reached this conclusion after excavating remains of 172 large animals. Among them were horses, deer, and cattle.
Along with the bones, they found anvils and stone hammers. The tools, according to experts, were used by Neanderthals to crush bones and extract the marrow.
After that, the bones were boiled to extract even more fat. The consumption included both the marrow and the extracted fat. This greatly increased the amount of food obtained from each animal.
This discovery alters what was previously known. Until now, the earliest evidence of this kind of practice dated back to 28,000 years ago — a period after the extinction of Neanderthals.
Who Were the Neanderthals
The Homo neanderthalensis emerged in Europe and the Middle East about 400,000 years ago. They disappeared around 28,000 years ago in the Iberian Peninsula. The exact cause of their extinction is still unknown.
Despite this, part of Neanderthal DNA survives in us. Modern humans have between 1.8% and 2.6% of genes from this species, acquired through interbreeding that occurred about 50,000 years ago.
With information from Gizmodo.UOL.
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