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Neandertal Diners Had Side of Veggies 尼安德塔人也吃蔬菜

◎李信漢

By analyzing what came out of Neandertals, researchers have verified that at least some of them mixed vegetation into their meaty diet.

藉由分析尼安德塔人的排泄物，研究人員證實至少有部分尼安德塔人在肉食為主的飲食中也混雜植物。

When it comes to Neandertal diets, the consensus has been：they ate meat. Lots of meat. But now it looks like Neandertals chomped on a fair amount of veggies, too.

論及尼安德塔人的飲食，一般認為他們吃肉。許多的肉。不過，現在看來尼安德塔人也攝取數量可觀的蔬菜。

Researchers have had a tough time discerning the Neandertals’ diet. They evaluated carbon and nitrogen isotopes in bones, but those only correspond to some general kinds of proteins. Even plant remains in Neandertal teeth could have gotten there because a tasty animal carcass itself contained traces of a last vegetarian meal.

研究人員過去難以辨認尼安德塔人的飲食。他們分析尼安德塔人骨頭裡碳和氮的同位素，但那些只符合某些一般蛋白質。就連殘留在尼安德塔人齒縫中的植物殘渣，都可能含有相同的同位素反應，因為尼安德塔人吃的動物中，有些可能上一餐就是吃植物。