The child's skull that reveals man was a meat eater far earlier than we thought

Fragment of a child's skull found in Tanzania give glimpse into early human diet

Researchers believe man needed meat to thrive - as skull showed signs of anaemia

A fragment of a child's skull dating back some 1.5million years offers some of the earliest evidence that early humans were hunters who ate meat regularly, scientists say.

The piece of bone discovered in the Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, has signs of nutritional deficiencies commonly caused by a lack of meat in its owner's diet, suggesting early man needed meat to thrive.

The discovery by a team of researchers led by Manuel Domínguez-Rodrigo from Complutense University, Madrid, suggests early human ancestors began eating meat much earlier in history than previously believed.

'Needed for survival': An analysis of a fragment of human skull dating back 1.5million years shows deficiencies caused by a lack of meat, which suggests that meat was an important part of the diet of early man

The skull fragment identified is thought to belong to a child somewhat younger than two and shows bone lesions that commonly result from a lack of B-vitamins in the diet.

Previous studies have suggested that early hominids ate meat, but whether it was a regular part of their diet or only consumed sporadically was not certain.

Now, the researchers suggest that the bone lesions present in this skull fragment provide support for the idea that meat-eating was common enough that not consuming it could lead to anaemia.

Nutritional deficiencies such as anemia are most common at weaning, when children's diets change drastically.



The research suggest that the child may have died at a period when he or she was starting to eat solid foods lacking meat.

Developmental problems: This fragment of a child's skull discovered at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, shows the oldest known evidence of anaemia caused by a nutritional deficiency Alternatively, if the child still depended on the mother's milk, the mother may have been nutritionally deficient for lack of meat. WHY B VITAMINS ARE SO VITAL B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins which play vital roles in healthy cell metabolism.

Once regarded as a single vitamin, later research showed they are distinct chemicals which often coexist in the same foods.

B vitamins are found in whole unprocessed food, with processed carbohydrates like sugar and white flour containing much less than their unprocessed counterparts.

Lack of B vitamins causes a range of problems ranging from acne to anaemia.

Good sources include whole grains, potatoes, bananas and lentils. But vitamin B12 in particular is only available from animal sources, making deficiency a concern for those unable or unwilling to eat meat. Both cases imply that 'early humans were hunters, and had a physiology adapted to regular meat consumption at least 1.5 million years ago', say the researchers.

The evidence that early man ate meat as an integral part of his diet comes as leading scientists are beginning to warn that the entire world may have to become almost entirely vegetarian to handle spiralling populations.

Researchers from the Stockholm International Water institute warned in August that animal-based food will have to drop to just 5 per cent of our total calories by 2050.

'There will not be enough water available on current croplands to produce food for the expected 9 billion population in 2050 if we follow current trends and changes towards diets common in western nations,' the researchers warned.

It is believed that if current population growth continues, there could be an additional 2billion people alive by 2050. Humans currently get about 20 per cent of their protein from animal-based products.

The latest findings were reported in a paper published yesterday in the open access journal PLoS ONE .