Scientists have made an unexpected statement about the Neanderthals

Neanderthals used antibiotics and painkillers.

The Neanderthal remains found traces of use of salicylic acid and antibiotics of penicillin, and besides, some of them suddenly found themselves vegetarians.

Scientists from Australia and Europe conducted a genomic analysis of the content of the dental plaque of Neanderthals, who lived in Belgium and Spain 42-50 thousand years ago. They found that the Belgian Neanderthals ate mostly meat and mushrooms, but the Spanish somehow were vegetarians, perhaps brewed plant food. In addition, one of them used salicylic acid, with analgesic properties, and the antibiotic penicillin. The corresponding article was published in the journal Nature.

The researchers conducted genomic analysis of the content of plaque the four of Neanderthals, who lived 40-50 thousand years ago the territory of modern Belgium and Asturias (region of Spain). The ancient “Belgians” in the RAID found DNA from woolly rhinos, and mountain sheep, as well as a number of edible mushrooms. But “Spaniards” traces of meat could not be found. Their diet consisted mainly of pine nuts, mosses, fungi and any parts of balsam poplar. (It is stated that this is a Populus trichocarpa, balsam poplar of North America. How could he get in pre-Columbian Europe, is not explained.) This difference between populations is very strange, as it involves diverse culture of both groups. In addition, a purely vegetarian diet generally manoharachary for populations of Homo that has not switched to agriculture.

In addition, one of the “Spanish” individuals found traces of a simple Enterocytozoon bieneusi genes that can cause diarrhea. In the jaw of this individual has a hole, which showed that he was suffering from the flux. Of dental plaque found genes that indicate consumption of some parts of the poplar. The bark of this plant contains salicylic acid. She anaesthetises, and its synthetic analogues known to us by aspirin. There are traces of penicillin fungus (apparently the Neanderthals ate mold), which can help with the flux.

Findings show that Neanderthals were able to use a wide range of medicinal plants. Earlier it became known that they had consumed chamomile and yarrow. They are rather bitter taste, which caused the hypothesis of their use as a drug (both plants have similar properties). Along with new data on the use of antibiotics and salicylic acid from natural sources it indicates a well-developed, although technically primitive pharmacological tradition. It is quite unexpected for the age, 40 000 years behind the start of mass use of antibiotics by our species, Homo sapiens.

Noteworthy and vegetarianism Asturian Neanderthals. Such a diet is usually uncharacteristic for Paleolithic. The production of food by hunting, usually takes less time than picking fruits and moss. The more that the Iberian Peninsula was then very sparsely populated and abounded in game. Perhaps the choice in favor of this power was due to some cultural peculiarities of the local Neanderthals.

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