At present, humans of the Stone Age, living near a lake in Germany, run a “fat factory” to remove nutrients from animal bones, showing a new study. Archaeologists found about 1.2 million bone pieces and 16,000 flint equipment at a site called Numeark-Nard.
Nendarthal crushed the bones to get the marrow, boiled them for hours and collected fat from the surface. This process requires planning: hunting, storage and installing a particular area. The use of fire was also found on the site.
Scientists say that it proves that Niendarthals were smart and well organized. They were not primitive, as often believed. His skills helped him survive in difficult situations with well -wrapped strategies.
“The attitude that Neanderthal was dumb – this is another data point that proves otherwise,” CNN quoted the study of Koathor Will Robocax.
Neanderthal lived in Eurasia and disappeared 40,000 years ago. Earlier studies found that they created yarn, gum, jewelery and cave art. New research shows that he also had a clever way of management of nutrition.
On the site in Germany, he boiled bones to get fat, helping to balance their diet. Experts say they knew that eating lean meat without fat can be harmful.
This condition is now called protein poisoning. It causes weakness and can also be fatal. Initial explorers called it “rabbit toxicity” when they faced similar problems with thick meat.
Neanderthal, who weighed between 50 and 80 kg, could only eat a limited amount of protein. He ate around 300 grams of protein without health problems.
This gave them only 1,200 calories, which was not enough for survival. Therefore, they required additional energy from fat or carbs. Since the animal meat has very little fat, they rely on bones for the marrow.
Researchers found that most of the bone on the German site came from large animals such as bone horses, deer and extinct auroch. Nendarthal mainly picked up long bones with more marrow. This shows that he cleverly chose fatty parts to meet their energy needs for survival.
Smart survival strategies
Researchers are not fully sure how Niendarthal boiled bones. However, they used natural containers such as birch bark, animal skin or abdominal lining to keep water on fire.
They may have made a fatty soup or broth, adding plants such as hazelnuts, acorn, or wild fruits to taste and nutrition. These findings show that Neanderthal was not just basic hunters. He planned well, did complex tasks and made full use of his resources.
His smart survival strategies helped him achieve the most energy from his environment. Archaeologists have called these discoveries “exciting”. He believes that this is a major step in understanding the early human intelligence and plan.
