Tooth enamel reveals our human ancestors were vegetarian

The conclusion comes from an analysis of nitrogen isotopes in the fossilised tooth enamel of seven Australopithecus individuals. The data revealed that these early hominins primarily relied on plant-based diets, with little to no evidence of meat consumption.

The consumption of animal resources, especially meat, is considered a crucial turning point in human evolution. This protein-rich food has been linked to increased brain volume and the ability to develop tools. However, direct evidence of when meat emerged among our early ancestors, and of how its consumption developed through time, has been elusive.

A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa have uncovered evidence that human ancestors of the genus Australopithecus that lived in southern Africa between 3.7m and 3.3m years ago subsisted mostly on plants.