The Risky Paleo Diet of our Ancestors

What was the likely cause of the severe bone condition observed in the Homo erectus specimen KNM-ER 1808?

• A bacterial infection

• A severe injury

• An overdose of Vitamin A

• A genetic disorder

What is the earliest widely accepted evidence of hominins consuming meat?

• Cut-marked bones found at Gona, Ethiopia.

• Bones broken open with stone tools at Kanjera South, Kenya.

• Fossilized catfish and turtle remains at Koobi Fora.

• Bone tools used for digging into termite mounds at Swartkrans.

Based on archaeological evidence from sites like Gona, Ethiopia, how has our understanding of early human diets changed over time compared to what scientists believed 50 years ago?

• Modern evidence shows early humans ate meat 2.5 million years ago, while older theories thought they became meat-eaters much later

• Current research proves early humans only ate plants and insects, differing from earlier meat-eating theories

• Scientists now believe early humans were purely vegetarian, while older theories thought they ate meat

• New findings show early humans ate the same foods as modern humans, disproving all previous theories

Which of the following was NOT presented as a direct risk or challenge associated with early hominins acquiring and consuming meat?

• The threat of injury during a hunt.

• The potential for wasting energy on unsuccessful hunting attempts.

• The risk of consuming excessive amounts of naturally occurring poisons in the meat itself.

• The danger of confronting other predators while scavenging for carcasses.

Why might different groups of early humans have developed different perspectives on which foods were safe to eat regularly?

• Early humans could not communicate about food safety, so viewpoints never changed

• All early human groups had the same food preferences and never disagreed

• Groups in different area faced different nutritional challenges and learned from different experiences with food poisoning

• Only one group of early humans ever existed, so there were no different viewpoints

What evidence suggests that early hominins at Swartkrans, South Africa, consumed insects?

• Fossilized insect remains found in hominin digestive tracts.

• Bone tools with wear patterns consistent with digging into termite mounds.

• Paintings showing hominins eating insects on cave walls.

• Chemical analysis of hominin teeth showing insect protein residue.

How do modern hunter-gatherer food practices show both continuity and change compared to early hominin diets from 2.5 million years ago?

• Modern hunter-gatherers eat different foods with nothing similar to early humans

• Modern hunter-gatherers only eat plants, showing complete change from early meat-eating ancestors

• Both groups combine meat and plants, but modern groups have more food variety and cultural knowledge about food safety

• There are no similarities because modern humans evolved completely different digestive systems

What can we infer about how early humans' perspectives on eating liver and organ meats might have changed over time?

• They never ate organ meats, only muscle from animals

• They likely learned through experience that eating too much liver caused sickness, leading to more careful eating

• They always avoided these foods because they knew about vitamin A poisoning

• They ate unlimited amounts of liver without any negative effects