Humans May Have Eaten Neanderthals
By HASANI GITTENS
Updated 5:10 PM CST, Sun, May 17, 2009
Scientists and day-dreamers have long wondered, "What happened to the Neanderthals?" those ancient, distant cousins of modern day humans.
Well, the answer may be, we ate them.
A study published in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences suggests that that a Neanderthal jawbone was butchered by pre-historic humans and the leader of the research team says he believes that the teeth were used to make a necklace, the UK's Guardian reports.
"Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Fernando Rozzi, of Paris' National Center of Scientific Research told the paper.
Other anthropologists had previously believed that Neanderthals simply died out when they were unable to compete for resources with the advanced intelligence and hunting skills of homo sapiens (us), or were more affected by climate change.
But Rozzi is among a new generation of scientists who believe that the relationship between humans and Neanderthals was much more violent.
"For years, people have tried to hide away from the evidence of cannibalism, but I think we have to accept it took place," Rozzi said.
Not everyone agrees of, course.
"One set of cut marks does not make a complete case for cannibalism," Francesco d'Errico, of the Institute of Prehistory in Bordeaux, told the Guardian.
The real question is, however, how does a neanderthal taste?
We're assuming not like chicken.
First Published: May 17, 2009 10:13 AM CST
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