Neanderthals feasted on everything from ancient plants to woolly mammoths, and when they got a piece of food stuck in their teeth, they just might have grabbed a toothpick to get it out.
Researchers studied the dental plaque of the El Sidrón Neanderthals who lived among the Spanish caves nearly 50,000 years ago, and found tiny bits of wood embedded in the samples.
The findings are the first evidence of non-food items found in the mouth of these human relatives and suggest Neanderthals may have practiced oral hygiene or even used their teeth as a third hand.
Researchers studied the dental plaque of the El Sidrón Neanderthals who lived among the Spanish caves nearly 50,000 years ago, and found tiny bits of wood embedded in the samples (pictured above). The findings suggest Neanderthals may have practiced oral hygiene or even used their teeth as a third hand.
The study was conducted by an international team of researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), University of Oviedo and University of York.
The researchers sought to extract chemical compounds and microfossils lodged in the dental plaque of Neanderthals at El Sidrón, Asturias.
Researchers sought to extract chemical compounds and microfossils lodged in the dental plaque of Neanderthals at El Sidrón, Asturias.
During the investigation, the team also found small remnants of conifer wood fibre in an adult molar.
However, this material must not be confused with the edible parts of this wood, the researchers explain, indicating it was not part of the Neanderthals’ diet.
In the 49,000-year-old samples, they also found certain chemical compounds and evidence of wearing down and abrasion.
Taken together, the findings suggest the Neanderthals didn’t use their teeth exclusively for the purpose of eating, the researchers say.
The team can’t be sure what the original material was really used for, be it oral hygiene or accidental ingestion, but they say it confirms that ancient dental plague can hold onto non-edible substances.
In the 49,000-year-old samples, they also found certain chemical compounds and evidence of wearing down and abrasion. Taken together, the findings suggest the Neanderthals didn’t use their teeth exclusively for the purpose of eating, the researchers say. As shown above, microabrasions can be seen on the surface.
The fragments may even have become embedded in the plaque as the result of Neanderthals using their mouths as a ‘third hand’ while working with wood materials.
This is the first physical evidence of non-edible materials in the mouth of a Neanderthal, and according to Karen Hardy of the UAB Department of Pre-History, the study opens the door for future explorations.
With this knowledge, researchers can use hardened plaque from ancient human specimens to directly obtain key information on the lives of our closest extinct human relatives.
This follows recent findings from a study published last month, which revealed that Neanderthals thrived on large prey mammals like woolly mammoths and rhinos. And, roughly one-fifth of their diet was made up of plants.
Based on isotope studies of the collagen found in bones, the researchers were able to show that the Neanderthals’ diet was markedly different from that of other predatory animals. – Cheyenne Macdonald, Dailymail
