{"id":1213,"date":"2020-03-27T15:10:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=1213"},"modified":"2020-03-27T15:10:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T15:10:52","slug":"how-stone-age-humans-unlocked-the-glucose-in-plants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1213\/how-stone-age-humans-unlocked-the-glucose-in-plants\/","title":{"rendered":"How Stone Age humans unlocked the glucose in plants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Early cave paintings of hunting scenes may give the impression our Stone Age ancestors lived mainly on chunks of meat, but plants \u2013 and the ability to unlock the glucose inside \u2013 were just as key to their survival.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Plants rich in starch helped early humans to thrive even at the height of the last Ice Age, researchers say.<\/p>\n

While the evidence around meat eating is clear, the role of plant foods is less understood. Animal bones can last millions of years and still show cuts made by human butchering tools, whereas almost all plant remains disintegrate.<\/p>\n

But new studies into the remains of plants that do exist are uncovering why and how our ancestors ate them.<\/p>\n

\u2018Plants were the staples. They were the foods that formed the basis of our calories in most environments,\u2019 said Dr Amanda Henry, a paleobiologist and associate professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Tubers and cereals are full of starch \u2013 making them good sources of glucose, which is important for brain growth as well as energy, says Dr\u00a0Henry. She leads a project called\u00a0HARVEST<\/a>\u00a0which is studying the diets of early human species and the role of plants as food. Tubers are organs where plants store nutrients \u2013 modern examples include potatoes and yams.<\/p>\n

Some of the earliest evidence she found of eating tubers and cereals dates back 40,000 years, to the Paleolithic era. Neanderthal remains discovered in caves in Iraq and Belgium show that our cousins likely ate water lily tubers, and grains from relatives of wheat and barley grasses.<\/p>\n

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\"Cave
Cave paintings often depict hunting activities but plants were the staple food for stone age people, say researchers. Image credit – Gruban\/wikimedia commons, licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cave paintings often depict hunting activities but plants were the staple food for stone age people, say researchers. Image credit – Gruban\/wikimedia commons, licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Innovation<\/strong><\/p>\n

But unlocking the energy in them required innovation. The grains may have been eaten green when they are easier to digest, but many tubers are toxic raw, says Dr Henry.<\/p>\n

\u2018They are likely to have cooked them,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Henry. This not only releases energy but also makes tubers safe to eat.<\/p>\n

\u2018(We\u2019ve found) evidence of heating food in the presence of water which suggests they were boiling them,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Henry. \u2018Changes in the starch granules \u2013 which suggests this type of cooking \u2013 were found on the dental calculus (tartar).\u2019<\/p>\n

The Neanderthal remains indicate they ate a wide variety of plant foods. This throws doubt on a theory that they died out because they had a narrower diet than our direct ancestors, Dr\u00a0Henry says.<\/p>\n

Other researchers have found earlier evidence of cooked tubers from South Africa in a fireplace dating back more than 100,000 years.<\/p>\n

During the last glacial period when ice caps expanded to cover much of northern Europe, there was an explosion of a new technology driven by the need for processing new sources of plant food: the ground stone.<\/p>\n

It was a major evolutionary success, dating back about 30,000 years, says Dr Emanuela Cristiani, associate professor in prehistoric archaeology at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.<\/p>\n

Hunter-gatherers primarily used knapped tools, made from big pieces of stone, says Dr\u00a0Cristiani. \u2018At a certain point another technology appears like a boom which is the ground stone technology \u2026 (It was) not used to cut or scrape or pierce, but to grind material,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

\u2018It means people were \u2026 looking for new ways to eat during this dramatic climatic period,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

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\u2018A lot of Paleo diets talk about health, but by this they mean weight loss. And I can\u2019t think of a single human ancestor who wanted to lose weight.\u2019<\/p>\n

Amanda Henry, Leiden University, the Netherlands<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Through a project called\u00a0HIDDEN FOODS<\/a>, Dr\u00a0Cristiani is studying diets of humans in southeastern Europe from the late Paleolithic era \u2013 when they were hunter-gathers \u2013 to the Neolithic era, when there is the first evidence of farming in the region about 8,500 years ago. She is also exploring the evolution of plant food processing technologies.<\/p>\n

Flour<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grinding meant people could make flour, which is another way of unlocking the energy in plants. The team found evidence in ground stones and plant remains in dental calculus that hunter-gatherers in the central Balkans ate a lot of wild oats, legumes and acorn flour, says Dr\u00a0Cristiani.<\/p>\n

The earliest evidence of flour dates back 30,000 years and was found in Russia, the Czech Republic and Italy.<\/p>\n

It is likely that hunter-gatherers at the team’s Italian research site ate cattail plants, which are abundant in a nearby river.<\/p>\n

\u2018We think they used mostly roots. The plant\u2019s root is very rich in starch and once it\u2019s dried, you can make it into flour,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Cristiani. The flour makes a sweet-tasting bread, she adds.<\/p>\n

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\"Researchers
Researchers have found evidence that hunter-gatherers in the central Balkans ate wild oats, legumes and acorn flour. Image credit – Pxhere, licensed under CC0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers have found evidence that hunter-gatherers in the central Balkans ate wild oats, legumes and acorn flour. Image credit – Pxhere, licensed under CC0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Paleolithic<\/strong><\/p>\n

The average Paleolithic person who survived infancy seems to have lived to age 50 or 60. \u2018It wasn\u2019t a life of luxury, it was probably a lot of work and generally cold, requiring quite a bit of effort,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Henry.<\/p>\n

These early humans are likely to have died primarily from a combination of infections, parasites and physical trauma, she says.<\/p>\n

Once people started settling and rearing animals and crops, disease levels rose \u2013 mainly because they jumped from animals to humans \u2013 and life expectancy appears to have fallen. \u2018That being said, agriculture is associated with increase in population size. You\u2019re not living as long, but you\u2019re having more kids,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Henry.<\/p>\n

Today, some people seeking a healthy alternative to modern industrialised diets look to the eating styles of our hunter-gatherer ancestors for inspiration.<\/p>\n

The so-called Paleo diet eschews cereals, recommends few carbs and promotes meat and vegetables. But archaeologists say it does not represent the full diet of hunter-gatherers who ate cereals and relied on carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

HIDDEN FOODS researchers found remains of legumes, oats and acorns in 10,000-year-old teeth from the last hunter-gatherer groups who built villages along the Danube river. \u2018This shows our idea of a Paleo diet as primarily based on protein intake is completely wrong,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Cristiani.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s important to understand for real what the (ancient) Paleolithic diet was. It was a very balanced way of eating,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Hunter-gatherers were looking for calories, so carbohydrates in tubers and cereals would have been important.<\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of Paleo diets talk about health, but by this they mean weight loss. And I can\u2019t think of a single human ancestor who wanted to lose weight,\u2019 said Dr\u00a0Henry.<\/p>\n

Diversity was integral to people\u2019s diets, as was their ability to move to new regions. \u2018Plant foods vary a lot between environments. So, every time a human went to a new place, they had to learn what was edible, what was going to kill them and what was medicine,\u2019 she said. \u2018There is no one size fits all diet. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you something.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU’s European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Early cave paintings of hunting scenes may give the impression our Stone Age ancestors lived mainly on chunks of meat, but plants \u2013 and the ability to unlock the glucose inside \u2013 were just as key to their survival.\u00a0 Plants rich in starch helped early humans to thrive even at the height of the last … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":1214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-energy-environment"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Stone Age humans unlocked the glucose in plants - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1213\/how-stone-age-humans-unlocked-the-glucose-in-plants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Stone Age humans unlocked the glucose in plants\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Early cave paintings of hunting scenes may give the impression our Stone Age ancestors lived mainly on chunks of meat, but plants \u2013 and the ability to unlock the glucose inside \u2013 were just as key to their survival.\u00a0 Plants rich in starch helped early humans to thrive even at the height of the last ... 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things you need to know about bats, disease and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Brain & Behavior"","block_context":{"text":"Brain & Behavior","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/brain-behavior\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/vlad-kutepov-yLSKobI0XYA-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/vlad-kutepov-yLSKobI0XYA-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/vlad-kutepov-yLSKobI0XYA-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/12\/vlad-kutepov-yLSKobI0XYA-unsplash-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, 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Now, scientists are deciphering these secret codes to develop better, greener chemicals to defend crops against herbivorous insects. Plants have nowhere to run from their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Caterpillar saliva causes maize to release a fragrant chemical that prepares other parts of the plant for attack. 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Is farming the future of vaccines?","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"August 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"On the southern outskirts of the city of Owensboro in Kentucky, US, there is a square, nondescript building. Inside, rows and rows of small plants are growing under artificial lights. This is a new generation biotech venture: a molecular farm. Others are springing up across the US and elsewhere \u2013\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/08\/Nicotiana-tabacum.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2225,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2225\/making-face-creams-from-coffee-beans-as-cosmetics-get-greener\/","url_meta":{"origin":1213,"position":3},"title":"Making face creams from coffee beans as cosmetics get greener","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"November 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Cosmetics often use unsustainable ingredients, but new research is answering the growing demand for eco-friendly products. By\u00a0\u00a0TOM CASSAUWERS \u2018Plant ingredients have always been used in cosmetics,\u2019 said Heiko Rischer, head of plant biotechnology at VTT, a Finnish research centre. \u2018But in recent years, there's been a revived interest in plant-based\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/11\/29greencosm-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":796,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/796\/boosting-nutrients-in-crops-to-beat-hidden-hunger-of-poor-diet\/","url_meta":{"origin":1213,"position":4},"title":"Boosting nutrients in crops to beat \u2018hidden hunger\u2019 of poor diet","author":"Richard Gray","date":"May 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Boosting the levels of micronutrients like zinc in popular grain crops could help to reduce a \u2018hidden hunger\u2019 experienced by millions of people across Europe and around the world. More than two billion children and adults globally are estimated to suffer from deficiencies of crucial vitamins and minerals due to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Modifying sorghum so that it releases zinc more easily could help tackle micronutrient deficiency.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/sorghum1-head.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/sorghum1-head.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/sorghum1-head.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/05\/sorghum1-head.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1208,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1208\/the-fight-to-save-europes-olive-trees-from-disease\/","url_meta":{"origin":1213,"position":5},"title":"The fight to save Europe\u2019s olive trees from disease","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Fintan Burke A plant disease spread by sap-sucking insects has been devastating olive and fruit orchards across southern Europe, but scientists are inching closer to halting its spread with the help of insect repelling clays, vegetative barriers and genetic analysis.\u00a0 In the late summer harvest of 2013, olive farmers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Earth, Energy & Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Earth, Energy & Environment","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/earth-energy-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The discovery of Xyella fastidiosa in European olive trees in 2013 caught European researchers off-guard. 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