Neanderthals, hypercarnivores, and maggots: Insights from stable nitrogen isotopes
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Resumen del artículo
This study proposes that the high nitrogen isotope ratios found in Neanderthal remains might be due to consumption of maggots found in stored animal foods, rather than just meat from large mammals. Using experimentally decomposed human tissue, the researchers show that fly larvae feeding on decomposing tissue have significantly higher nitrogen isotope values than the tissue itself, suggesting that even small amounts of maggots in the diet could significantly elevate nitrogen isotope ratios.
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Scientists thought old cave people ate lots of big animals because of a special sign in their bones. But maybe they also ate tiny bugs called maggots that were on their meat, which made the sign look even bigger!
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Explicación de la calificación
This study presents a novel and compelling hypothesis challenging conventional interpretations of Neanderthal diets by exploring the potential contribution of maggot consumption to elevated δ15N values. The study design uses human decomposition as an experimental model and includes isotopic analyses of fly larvae alongside associated fauna, providing new data relevant to Late Pleistocene hominin dietary reconstructions. While there are limitations related to the experimental model, sample sizes, and unknown factors influencing δ15N values, the research opens up promising new avenues of investigation and presents a valuable contribution to the field.
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