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Three Million Years Ago, Our Ancestors Were Vegetarian (www.wits.ac.za)

submitted 2 weeks ago by shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml to c/science@lemmy.ml

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Human ancestors like Australopithecus – which lived around 3.5 million years ago in southern Africa – ate very little to no meat, according to new research published in the scientific journal Science. This conclusion comes from an analysis of nitrogen isotope isotopes in the fossilized tooth enamel of seven Australopithecus individuals. The data revealed that these early hominins primarily relied on plant-based diets, with little to no evidence of meat consumption.

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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The nutrients from meat (protein, amino acids, or whatever) are considered one of the factors that helped us develop our brains.

You can kind of see it in other animals, too. Carnivore predators (e.g. sharks, wolves) are a bit more intelligent than their prey (e.g. deer, smaller fish).

[–] shreddy_scientist@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 weeks ago

I hear what you're saying, but I wanted to point out that any living organism is built from the same 20 amino acids, which are put together based on a blueprint (aka DNA). A string of amino acids is called a polypeptide, which is also known as a protein. But both dogs and wolves are omnivores, it's a common misconception to think they're carnivorous. Cats on the other hand are carnivorous creatures.

Additionally, it is not necessarily true that carnivores are more intelligent than omnivores or herbivores as a result of their diet. Instead, predators and prey are in a contest of brain size relative to body size. While carnivores and omnivores have more potential opportunity to develop intelligence, they'd have to be a social species for that to occur. So relative brain size and intelligence aren't directly associated with diet, but more so a result of social structures and genetics.