Diet of the earliest modern humans in East Asia

• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.989308
• Publication Date: 2022-08-31T07:10:53Z
• Authors: Yan Wu; Dawei Tao; Xiujie Wu; Wu Liu; Yanjun Cai
• Keywords: Phytolith; Hominidae; Fossil Record

Reconstructing diet can offer an improved understanding toward the origin and evolution of modern humans. However, early humans in East Asia is poorly understood. Starch analysis dental calculus harmless to precious fossil hominins provides most direct evidence plant food sources human dietary records. In this paper, we examined starch grains from Fuyan Cave Daoxian (South China), which were earliest Asia. Our results reveal a hominin made acorns, roots, tubers, grass seeds, other yet-unidentified plants marine isotope stage 5 between 120 80 ka. study also that acorns may have played important role subsistence strategies. There been long-lasting tradition using these during Late Pleistocene China. Plant foods would plentiful source carbohydrates greatly increased energy availability tissues with high glucose demands. consumption carbohydrates-rich resources China for first time. addition, it helps elucidate evolutionary advantages late Middle Upper Pleistocene.