Baboon Diet for Bright Brains The enigmatic diet of our supposed evolutionary cousin, Paranthropus boisei (aka “Nutcracker Man”), has long puzzled anthropologists. His big flat molars set in a massive jaw seemed suited for smashing nuts—hence the nickname. Recent studies of the carbon isotopes embedded in Nutcracker Man’s tooth enamel, however, belie that conclusion. Analysis shows he subsisted on plants like tropical grasses and sedges. But how could this extinct branch of the hominin1 family with a brain just a bit bigger than Lucy’s have prospered for a million years nibbling on rabbit food? ... goo.gl/zDSDIb
Posted on: Tue, 21 Jan 2014 20:56:31 +0000