Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Neanderthal update Neanderthals Were Cannibals, Study Confirms
Neanderthals suffered periods of starvation and may have supplemented their diet through cannibalism, according to a study of remains from northwest Spain.

Paleobiologists studied samples from eight 43,000-year-old Neanderthal skeletons excavated from an underground cave in El SidrĂ³n, Spain since 2000. The study sheds light on how Neanderthals lived before the arrival of modern humans in Europe.

Researchers found cut marks and evidence that bones had been torn apart, which they say could indicate cannibalism.


Hard to say from that whether the taphonomic evidence is really all that solid, but it probably shouldn't be surprising.