Anropologist explores plausibility of bulbs and tubers in the diet of early human ancestors

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Roasting tubers as shown in this photo of Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania enhances their digestibility according to anthropologist Nate Dominy. Photo by N. Dominy.
Roasting tubers, as shown in this photo of Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, enhances their digestibility, according to anthropologist Nate Dominy. Photo by N. Dominy.
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. Anthropologist Nathaniel J. Dominy of the University of California, Santa Cruz, has advanced the investigation of the diet of early human ancestors by painstakingly measuring the mechanical properties of the underground parts of nearly 100 plant species across sub-Saharan Africa.


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