Abstract

Have you ever wondered what people in the Stone Age had for dinner? Food back then was very different from today! People gathered wild foods and hunted animals to eat. Scientists want to know what people ate long ago because it helps explain how people survived in difficult conditions. In the Stone Age, Neanderthals and modern humans (our species!) both lived in Europe. We don’t know why Neanderthals went extinct and why modern humans survived. Learning about what Neanderthals ate can help us answer this question. We tested a new method where we measured isotope ratios in tooth enamel. We learned that meat was a big part of Neanderthals’ diet!