The remains of Neanderthals found in the El Sidrón cave site, in the Asturian council of Piloña, have allowed us to know some of the habits of our evolutionary cousins, who inhabited it about 49,000 years ago. Thus, in 2012, for example, a group of researchers determined that they were already taking yarrow and chamomile, probably to relieve stomach aches and heavy digestions . For experts, that finding indicated that they used some plants for their healing properties.
Now, examination of the calcified dental plaque of five individuals appears to confirm that hypothesis. In an essay published in the journal Nature , a multidisciplinary team of experts from different institutions highlights that the genetic material that has been preserved in it shows that at least one was medicated in this way. “We discovered that it contained sequences of the pathogen Enterocytozoon bieneusi , which in humans causes gastrointestinal problems, including severe diarrhea. In addition, thanks to a hole in his jaw we know that he had a dental abscess. Both problems must have caused him intense pain”, explains the researcher at the CSIC Antonio Rosas, from the National Museum of Natural Sciences, who participated in the study. In the tartar of this specimen , DNA remains of the Penicillium fungus – a natural antibiotic – and poplar have appeared. The roots, leaves and bark of this tree contain salicylic acid, a compound that has been used as a pain reliever.
In addition, and to their surprise, the scientists did not find remains that indicated that they had eaten meat, but they did find mushrooms, pine nuts and moss. Until now, it has been thought that Neanderthals had a predilection for it. In fact, in some samples found in other European sites, DNA from mouflon and rhinoceros, among other herbivores, has appeared. But this does not seem to be the case. “We were surprised not to find meat remains in Asturian Neanderthals, since they are considered predominantly carnivores. However, we have found evidence that they followed a varied diet that included different plants . In addition, some of them could have been cooked for their use. consumption, “says Rosas.”
The oldest complete genome of a microorganism has also been recovered from the dental plaque of Neanderthals from El Sidrón, an archaea called Methanobrevibacter oralis that is also found in our species. Both strains appear to have diverged between 112,000 and 143,000 years ago, after our evolutionary lineages split. “Today we know that the sapiens interbred twice with the Neanderthals who later lived in the Siberian area, but not with those from Asturias”, points out Carles Lalueza-Fox, from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, another of the authors of the work. “If there was a transfer of microbiota – the microbes present in our body – between the ancestors of the Asturian Neanderthals and sapiens, perhaps there was a cross that we have not yet identified,” indicates Lalueza-Fox. This, for some of the scientists who have participated in the study, even suggests that the contact between both species could have been more intimate and friendly than we suppose .
Image: Andrés Díaz / CSIC Comunicación
