Meat Was Not on the Menu for Human Ancestor Australopithecus

New research provides the first direct evidence that Australopithecus, an important early human ancestor that displayed a mix of ape-like and human-like traits, consumed very little or no meat, relying on a plant-based diet. The study determined the diet of seven Australopithecus individuals from South Africa dating to between 3.7 and 3.3 million years ago based on the chemistry of their tooth enamel.

- Reuters

The incorporation of meat into the diet was a milestone for the human evolutionary lineage, a potential catalyst for advances such as increased brain size. But scientists have struggled to determine when meat consumption began and who did it.

New research provides the first direct evidence that Australopithecus, an important early human ancestor that displayed a mix of ape-like and human-like traits, consumed very little or no meat, relying on a plant-based diet. The study determined the diet of seven Australopithecus individuals from South Africa dating to between 3.7 and 3.3 million years ago based on the chemistry of their tooth enamel.

"Meat likely played a significant role in the expansion of cranial capacity - larger brain development - during human evolution. Animal resources provide a highly concentrated source of calories and are rich in essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are critical for fueling a large brain," said geochemist Tina Lüdecke of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, lead author of the study published on Thursday in the journal Science.

"Our data challenge the assumption that meat was a crucial dietary component for Australopithecus, despite some specimens being found in association with stone tools and cut-marked bones," Lüdecke said.