January
08
/ 2014
A new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found that ancient hunter-gatherers had a passion for carbohydrate-rich snacks, such as sweet acorns, which caused extensive tooth decay, tooth loss, and other dental problems. While eating nuts and acorns may have helped hunter-gatherers survive 15,000 years ago in northern Africa, it also had its consequences. The research comes from the discovery of skeletons unearthed in the Grotte des Pigeons cave in northern Morocco. Although more than 100 remains have been excavated from the cave over the last one hundred years, study co-author Louise Humphrey and her colleagues found a new patch of 14 burials in the back of the cave. Ochre-stained beads and other
