BURSTScientists long thought that Neanderthals were avid meat eaters. Based on chemical analysis of Neanderthal remains, it seemed like they’d been feasting on as much meat as apex predators such as lions and hyenas. But as a group, hominins—that’s Neanderthals, our species, and other extinct close relatives—aren’t specialized flesh eaters. Rather, they’re more omnivorous, eating plenty of plant foods, too.
It is possible for humans to subsist on a very carnivorous diet. In fact, many traditional northern hunter–gatherers such as the Inuit subsisted mostly on animal foods. But hominins simply cannot tolerate consuming the high levels of protein that large predators can. If humans eat as much protein as hypercarnivores do over long periods without consuming enough other nutrients, it can lead to protein poisoning—a debilitating, even lethal condition historically known as “rabbit starvation.”
So, what could explain the chemical signatures found in Neanderthal bones that seem to suggest they were healthily eating tons of meat?