Study finds early Homo used varied, consistent meat foraging strategies
Updated
Updated · Gizmodo · May 4
Study finds early Homo used varied, consistent meat foraging strategies
11 articles · Updated · Gizmodo · May 4
Published in PNAS, the study analysed 1.6 million-year-old bones and hominin teeth from Kenya's Koobi Fora Formation, led by Fairfield University anthropologist Francis Forrest.
Cut marks, percussion damage and tooth marks suggest early humans often reached carcasses while substantial meat remained, transported meaty parts and broke bones for marrow, while sometimes also scavenging.
Researchers say the findings move debate beyond hunting versus scavenging, showing adaptable foraging behaviour that may help explain how Homo evolved to survive changing environments.
Beyond hunting, what does our ancestors' flexible diet reveal about our own nutritional needs today?
What really made us human: the first hunt for meat or the first controlled fire for cooking?
Can eating more meat protect against the Alzheimer's gene our meat-eating ancestors gave us?
Scavenging as a Core Survival Strategy: Evidence from 1.6 Million Years of Early Human Adaptations
Overview
Recent research reveals that scavenging was a deliberate and vital survival strategy for early humans, not just a fallback. Early humans actively acquired animal carcasses, transported high-value parts like limbs and heads, and used stone tools to extract nutrient-rich marrow and brains. This behavior was supported by key adaptations: a highly acidic stomach to safely consume carrion, exceptional endurance to travel long distances, and social cooperation with communication to defend carcasses. These factors made scavenging efficient and reliable, especially in harsh environments where food was scarce. Scavenging provided essential nutrients that fueled brain growth, drove tool innovation, and fostered complex social structures, shaping human evolution.