A new study in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says there’s evidence Neanderthals loved carbs as much as they did eating animal flesh. The evidence comes from bacteria on Neanderthals’ teeth, which would’ve developed to consume sugars from the foods the extinct subspecies of human ate. Which, incidentally, would’ve helped their brains grow faster than they would have otherwise.
Science News reported on the new study, which aimed to better understand the evolution of the human oral microbiome. The team of authors analyzed 124 biofilms of teeth; from both Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day humans. As well as chimpanzees, gorillas, and howler monkeys.