US Edition
Neanderthals Boiled Bones in 'Fat Factories' to Enrich Their Lean Diet
- On Wednesday, July 2, Science published that Neanderthals rendered bones into grease at Neumark-Nord in Germany 125,000 years ago, described as a "fat factory" by researchers.
- Neanderthals performed resource intensification by rendering bones into grease around 125,000 years ago, much earlier than previous evidence at 28,000 years, likely to avoid protein poisoning.
- Analysis of 172 large animal remains and over 16,500 flint artifacts from NN2/2B reveals extensive bone smashing and heating, with about 2,000 fragments showing evidence of boiling.
- Neanderthals' resource intensification 125,000 years ago increased caloric intake, likely extending lifespans and fostering food storage behaviors, reshaping human dietary evolution.
- Discovery pushes back resource intensification by nearly 100,000 years, prompting a reassessment of early human dietary behaviors and adaptations.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Already 125,000 years ago, Neanderthal animal fats were preserved. So far, this survival strategy was only known by Homo sapiens, but tens of thousands of years later.
Already 125,000 years ago, Neanderthals used an innovative method to get valuable calories. The find reveals exciting details about the survival strategies of our ancestors.
Neanderthals boiled bones in 'fat factories' to enrich their lean diet
Germany digs reveal a large-scale operation 100,000 years earlier than oldest known fat rendering by modern humans. Germany digs reveal a large-scale operation 100,000 years earlier than oldest known fat rendering by modern humans.
Neanderthals had a 'fat factory' where they processed bones for grease
An ancient human site in Germany features animal bones that were smashed into small pieces and heated to extract fat 125,000 years ago, showing that Neanderthal culinary skills were surprisingly sophisticated
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
