Our Homo sapiens ancestors lived around 40,000 years ago, during the Ice Age in Europe, with Neanderthals, with whom they came to mate. Homo Neanderthalensis were also human, but of another species and with marked differences from our direct ancestors. They were shorter and stockier, with wider pelvises and more prominent rib cages than their Sapiens contemporaries.
Where did these differences come from? According to a new study from the Israeli University of Tel Aviv, his diet based on protein from the meat of large animals accelerated those physical changes. For Professor Avi Gopher, co-author of the research, “the bell-shaped rib cage typical of Neanderthals had to evolve to accommodate a larger liver , the organ responsible for metabolizing proteins into energy. An accelerated metabolism required it also increases the renal system – kidneys and bladder larger and able to eliminate the abundant and toxic urea , possibly resulting in a wider pelvis. “
According to the aforementioned expert, “the anatomical differences between sapiens and Neanderthals were well known, but our study provides another perspective. During the harsh winters of the Ice Age, the availability of carbohydrates and fat was in short supply , yet the numerous typical Neanderthal clans managed very well and increased their populations. For that, they necessarily had to adapt to a diet very rich in protein, which undoubtedly promoted these physical changes and accelerated their evolution “.
According to Professor Barkai, another of the study’s co-authors, “It was already known that diet played a key role in human evolution, but before we thought that a high consumption of fat was one of the most effective solutions to survive in certain conditions . And is that the amount of protein that humans can convert into energy is limited, about 30% of the total of our diet. So our option to evolve was to eat more fats and carbohydrates when they were seasonally available . On the other hand, Neanderthals consumed less carbohydrates due to their biological adaptation to a super-protein diet ”.
Researchers believe that Neanderthals’ near-total reliance on hunting very large animals to satisfy their need for protein may have played a role in their extinction.
