Tree Bark Was Food Of The Past

Bark — it's what's for dinner!

In a recent study conducted by the journal Nature, scientists found traces of tree bark in the teeth of our human ancestors.

The 2 million-year-old bark shows that these hominins ate the bark of the trees they climbed, according to an article from Bloomberg.

The Australopithecus sediba family, which was only discovered in the Malapa Cave of South Africa in 2008, is now thought to have lived in the forest, rather than in the savanna, like scientists originally thought. 

The members of the Australopithecus family were ape-like hominins, who were also found to eat leaves and fruit. This species includes the Lucy fossil, and many scientists believed the Australopithecus family evolved into the human genus species Homo. This new study finds that they may have actually been more chimpanzee-like. 

The previous thoughts were that the brains, hands, feet, and pelvis of Australopithecus sediba were human-like, and created the link between them and humans. 

Check out TDM's tips for How to Eat Like a Caveman!