Researchers shed light on diet of early human ancestors

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African mole rats eat a diet rich in bulbs. Photo by Justin Yeakel
African mole rats eat a diet rich in bulbs. Photo by Justin Yeakel

Eight years ago, the field of anthropology was rocked by isotopic evidence that suggested one-third of the diet of early human ancestors consisted of grasses and sedges, or the tissue of animals that ate such plants. The news puzzled scientists, who were unable to reconcile the results with what they knew about the teeth of human ancestors who lived more than 2 million years ago.


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