Domingo Carlos Salazar, molecular archaeologist and researcher of the University of Valencia.
Domingo Carlos Salazar, molecular archaeologist and researcher of the University of Valencia. Domingo Carlos Salazar, molecular archaeologist and researcher at the University of Valencia, has participated in the first analysis of zinc isotope ratios (atoms of different masses of the same chemical element) in the dental enamel of a Neanderthal to determine his position in the food chain. The study, published in the journal PNAS, and led by a researcher from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France, has determined that the Neanderthal to which the tooth belonged probably had an almost carnivorous diet. "In recent years we have seen how several studies have pointed to a varied diet with a not inconsiderable consumption of plant resources among Neanderthals, to the point that it was sometimes insinuated that they could have been almost vegetarian. However, this study, by showing a more carnivorous diet than expected, reopens the debate on their type of diet and what this implies", Salazar declared. The molar analyzed in the investigation belongs to the Gabasa site (Huesca). Given the limiting conditions of the deposit, it was decided to analyse the proportions of zinc isotopes present in tooth enamel, a mineral that is more resistant to any form of degradation.
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