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Doctoral Student Makes Discovery On Neanderthal Eating Habits
G W Hatchett.com ^ | 2-7-2008 | Michael Moffett

Posted on 02/07/2008 3:01:50 PM PST by blam

Doctoral student makes discovery on Neanderthal eating habits

by Michael Moffett
Hatchet Reporter
Issue date: 2/7/08

A doctoral student studying hominid paleobiology has pioneered a method for analyzing reindeer bones from around 65,000 to 12,000 years ago, an accomplishment that allows scientists to further understand the eating habits of early humans.

Early humans flocked to reindeer meat when the temperature dropped, J. Tyler Faith discovered.

"We see a steady increase in the abundance of reindeer, associated with declines in summer temperature," Faith said.

Faith analyzed bones from the Grotte XVI archaeological site in southern France in order to better understand the relationship between early humans and animals, and how this was affected by changes in the environment.

Faith's new findings help to understand the differences between Neanderthals and the modern man. He said differences in hunting behavior cannot explain why Neanderthals dropped out of existence between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago.

"Variation in the types of animals hunted and the parts of those animals that were exploited and processed by the human and Neanderthal occupants of Grotte XVI can be explained largely by environmental change, rather than behavioral or technological differences," Faith said.

His study was called "important, insightful and innovative" by Donald Grayson, a renowned Grotte XVI researcher and professor at the University of Washington, in an interview with Discovery News.

Faith has previously worked to develop "quantitative methods for measuring changes in how humans butchered and transported large animal remains."

He has also done research at the Shompole conservation area in southern Kenya, where he studied animal bones as a way to understand living wildlife.

For his dissertation, Faith is researching the extinction of large mammals in southern Africa. He hopes to determine whether human hunting pressure or changes to the environment contributed to the extinction of large mammals.

Including this study, Faith has been published five times in The Journal of Archeological Science, and has also been featured in Discovery News. He recently submitted work to the Journal of Human Evolution. Faith said he hopes to continue researching in East and southern Africa after he receives his Ph.D. and eventually hopes to become a professor at a research-oriented university.

"I have had a great time at GWU - I couldn't be happier anywhere else," Faith said. "I was excited by the many research opportunities available here in my program and at the National Museum of Natural History."


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dietandcuisine; eating; godsgravesglyphs; habits; neandertahal; neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals
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The article seems to be more about J. Tyler Faith than his discovery or Neanderthals.

Also: "Neanderthals dropped out of existence between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago."

Not true, 27,000 year old Neanderthals skeletons have been found.

1 posted on 02/07/2008 3:01:54 PM PST by blam
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To: SunkenCiv

GGG Ping.


2 posted on 02/07/2008 3:02:21 PM PST by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: blam

Must have been watching the Libs in the Senate dining room.....


3 posted on 02/07/2008 3:03:07 PM PST by Ben Mugged (Thanks Mom for not considering me a "choice".)
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To: blam

4 posted on 02/07/2008 3:05:40 PM PST by iowamark
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To: blam

“So easy a doctoral student could do it”


5 posted on 02/07/2008 3:06:45 PM PST by Squidpup ("Fight the Good Fight")
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To: blam

Early humans flocked to reindeer meat when the temperature dropped, J. Tyler Faith discovered.

obviously global warming/climate change caused this. as proof of it, the average temperature where I am has dropped 50 degrees in just 6 months..


6 posted on 02/07/2008 3:07:02 PM PST by GeorgiaDawg32 (If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten.)
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To: iowamark
Ground based reindeer died out near Neanderthal settlements, leaving only the fitter flying reineer to survive.
7 posted on 02/07/2008 3:07:54 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Rattenschadenfreude: joy at a Democrat's pain, especially Hillary's pain caused by Obama.)
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8 posted on 02/07/2008 3:10:40 PM PST by evets (beer)
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To: blam

They’re the ones that discovered, and passed down through the ages, the art of sticking straw in the cake to see if it was done.


9 posted on 02/07/2008 3:13:41 PM PST by knarf (I say things that are true ... I have no proof ... but they're true.)
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To: blam
No trans fats, and they still died.
10 posted on 02/07/2008 3:17:23 PM PST by Constitutionalist Conservative (Global Warming Heretic -- http://agw-heretic.blogspot.com)
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To: blam

Ill have the roast duck with mango salsa.

11 posted on 02/07/2008 3:25:50 PM PST by Wilderness Conservative
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To: blam
Early humans flocked to reindeer meat when the temperature dropped, J. Tyler Faith discovered.

Happens on a annual basis here - 'xcept is just regular non-Santa type deer.

12 posted on 02/07/2008 3:26:02 PM PST by Last Dakotan
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The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

13 posted on 02/09/2008 11:44:32 AM PST by SunkenCiv ("We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur." -- VP Al Gore, 9/22/97)
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To: blam; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 49th; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks Blam.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo ·
· History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


14 posted on 02/09/2008 11:45:23 AM PST by SunkenCiv ("We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur." -- VP Al Gore, 9/22/97)
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To: Ben Mugged

Must have been watching the Libs in the Senate dining room”

Supping on the famous navy bean soup which is about as close as any of them get to expertise in military affairs.


15 posted on 02/09/2008 1:45:24 PM PST by wildbill
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To: blam

Interesting show on PBS I saw once. About these folks that live in Northern Russia, almost up to the arctic circle.

They herd reindeer. Only reindeer. They have no agriculture of any kind.

The ONLY thing that grows there is the lichen. The ONLY thing that will eat the lichen is the reindeer.

And the folks that herd and process the reindeer are TOTALLY dependent on them. They use everything they can get from the reindeer, they even eat the eyeballs and burn reindeer dung for fuel and cooking.

The thing that struck me the most was how no-nonsense the people seemed. Ain’t alot of song and dance up there. Pretty sparse existence. And they were round. Short and round. Short round folks maintain their heat best.


16 posted on 02/09/2008 2:34:48 PM PST by djf (...and dying in your bed, many years from now, did you donate to FR?)
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To: SunkenCiv

SC, this sounds awfully familiar to another article you posted some time ago....don’t know if you’ve linked it to that one on the thread...do you recall the other article?


17 posted on 02/09/2008 2:35:44 PM PST by nicmarlo
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To: Wilderness Conservative

I love the sunglasses. And I loved those commercials. Existential meltdown bump.


18 posted on 02/09/2008 2:38:29 PM PST by Mamzelle (bull maverick party)
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To: nicmarlo

Yeah, I think so too. Click on the keyword “godsgravesglyphs” (up by the first message of this topic) and search for “neander”, and of course, let my lazy butt know what you find. ;’)


19 posted on 02/09/2008 3:43:39 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______________________Profile updated Wednesday, January 16,)
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New Evidence of Neanderthal Violence
BBC | 4-22-2002 | Helen Biggs
Posted on 04/23/2002 6:06:24 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/671495/posts

Neanderthal Man Floated Into Europe, Say Spanish Researchers
The Guardian (UK) | 1-16-2006 | Giles Tremlett
Posted on 01/16/2006 6:13:24 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1559199/posts

Neanderthal ‘butcher shop’ found in France
PhysOrg | September 27, 2006 | Staff
Posted on 09/28/2006 9:05:07 AM EDT by DaveLoneRanger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1709879/posts

Stone Age Revolution:
Modern Humans May Have Divided Labor To Conquer
Science News | 11-4-2006 | Bruce Bower
Posted on 12/04/2006 3:38:58 PM EST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1748338/posts

Neanderthal Women Joined Men in the Hunt
(Eat your heart out, feminists)
The New York Times | December 5, 2006 | NICHOLAS WADE
Posted on 12/07/2006 8:42:12 AM EST by DaveLoneRanger
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1749820/posts

‘Post-Neanderthal Equality’
(Where is the next feminist revolution?)
Wall Street Journal | December 15, 2006 | Naomi Schaefer Riley
Posted on 12/15/2006 1:20:30 PM EST by Mrs. Don-o
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1754056/posts

Neanderthals on the Hunt
Archaeology | Volume 60 Number 2, March/April 2007 | unattributed (probably Mark Rose)
Posted on 02/19/2007 12:48:42 AM EST by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1787189/posts


20 posted on 02/09/2008 4:08:33 PM PST by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_______________________Profile updated Wednesday, January 16,)
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