2025/01/16 by Tina Lüdecke, Jennifer Leichliter, Dominic Stratford +5 · 3 voices · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
paper · doi:10.1126/science.adq7315
openalex publication_date 2025/01/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Incorporation of animal-based foods into early hominin diets has been hypothesized to be a major catalyst of many important evolutionary events, including brain expansion. However, direct evidence of the onset and evolution of animal resource consumption in hominins remains elusive. The nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14 ratio of collagen provides trophic information about individuals in modern and geologically recent ecosystems (<200,000 years ago), but diagenetic loss of this organic matter precludes studies of greater age. By contrast, nitrogen in tooth enamel is preserved for millions of years. We report enamel-bound organic nitrogen and carbonate carbon isotope measurements of Sterkfontein Member 4 mammalian fauna, including seven Australopithecus specimens. Our results suggest a variable but plant-based diet (largely C 3 ) for these hominins. Therefore, we argue that Australopithecus at Sterkfontein did not engage in regular mammalian meat consumption.