Open AccessNo sustained increase in zooarchaeological evidence for carnivory after the appearance ofHomo erectus
Author(s) -
W. Andrew Barr,
Briana Pobiner,
John Rowan,
Andrew Du,
J. Tyler Faith
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2115540119
Subject(s) - homo erectus , fossil record , human evolution , hominidae , biology , taphonomy , ecology , australopithecus , evolutionary biology , zoology , biological evolution , paleontology , pleistocene , genetics
Significance Many quintessential human traits (e.g., larger brains) first appear inHomo erectus . The evolution of these traits is commonly linked to a major dietary shift involving increased consumption of animal tissues. Early archaeological sites preserving evidence of carnivory predate the appearance ofH. erectus , but larger, well-preserved sites only appear after the arrival ofH. erectus . This qualitative pattern is a key tenet of the “meat made us human” viewpoint, but data from sites across eastern Africa have not been quantitatively synthesized to test this hypothesis. Our analysis shows no sustained increase in the relative amount of evidence for carnivory after the appearance ofH. erectus , calling into question the primacy of carnivory in shaping its evolutionary history.