'Unparalleled' discovery of ancient skeletons sheds light on mystery of when people started eating m

[Judi Lynn]

3-JUN-2020
'Unparalleled' discovery of ancient skeletons sheds light on mystery of when people started eating maize
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER

The "unparalleled" discovery of remarkably well-preserved ancient skeletons in Central American rock shelters has shed new light on when maize became a key part of people's diet on the continent.

Until now little was known about when humans started eating the crop, now a staple of meals around the globe that shapes agricultural landscapes and ecosystem biodiversity.

The rare human remains, found in the Maya Mountains of Belize, buried during the last 10,000 years, has allowed experts to date when maize became a major part of people's diets in the region for the first time.

Radiocarbon dating of the skeletal samples shows the transition from pre-maize hunter-gatherer diets, where people consumed wild plants and animals, to the introduction and increasing reliance on the crop. Maize made up about a third of people's diets in the area by 4,700 years ago, rising to 70 per cent 700 years later.

More:
https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/233566.php

[tblue37]

1. K&R and thanks. nt

[Judi Lynn]

3. Thank you, tblue. 👋

[tblue37]

7. I love your science posts. nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Rare ancient skeleton discovery helps solve big food mystery

Brittany A. Roston - Jun 3, 2020, 3:10 pm CDT

Researchers with the University of Exeter have announced the discovery of ancient skeletons that help solve a big food mystery: when did humans in Central America start eating maize as a staple food? The discovery is described as ‘unparalleled’ because the skeletons were ‘remarkably well-preserved’ in the rock shelters where they were found.

Maize, also called corn, joins wheat, rice, and other crops as a staple food that millions of people around the world rely on. The mystery of when humans started eating this crop to a significant degree has remained unsolved in the thousands of years since the crop was first cultivated.

The ancient skeletons were discovered in a well-preserved state despite the humid environment, which makes it ‘extremely rare’ for researchers to find human remains this old that are in such useful conditions. Co-director of the field excavations Dr. Mark Robinson explained:

This is the only example of a burial site in the Neotropics used repeatedly for 10,000 years, giving us an unparalleled opportunity to study dietary change over a long time period, including the introduction of maize into the region. This is the first direct evidence to show when the change in people’s diets occurred and the rate at which maize increased in economic and dietary importance until it became fundamental to peoples dietary, economic, and religious lives.

More:
https://www.slashgear.com/rare-ancient-skeleton-discovery-helps-solve-big-food-mystery-03623574/

[niyad]

4. KNR. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Cavemen with Doritos

we haven't progressed much

[KY_EnviroGuy]

6. Thanks again Judi Lynn for keeping DU abreast on interesting scientific topics.

Another piece in the massive puzzle of human evolution.........

[thesquanderer]

8. The human body is so adaptable...

We put so much emphasis on a balanced diet, but we can still survive remarkably well on diets that are mostly potatoes, or mostly rice, or mostly corn...