(George Washington University student newspaper)
Doctoral student makes discovery on Neanderthal eating habits
by Michael Moffett
Hatchet Reporter
Issue date: 2/7/08 Section: News
A doctoral student studying hominid paleobiology has pioneered a
method for analyzing reindeer bones from around 65,000 to 12,000 years
ago, an accomplishment that allows scientists to further understand
the eating habits of early humans.
Early humans flocked to reindeer meat when the temperature dropped, J.
Tyler Faith discovered.
"We see a steady increase in the abundance of reindeer, associated
with declines in summer temperature," Faith said.
Faith analyzed bones from the Grotte XVI archaeological site in
southern France in order to better understand the relationship between
early humans and animals, and how this was affected by changes in the
environment.
Faith's new findings help to understand the differences between
Neanderthals and the modern man. He said differences in hunting
behavior cannot explain why Neanderthals dropped out of existence
between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago.
"Variation in the types of animals hunted and the parts of those
animals that were exploited and processed by the human and Neanderthal
occupants of Grotte XVI can be explained largely by environmental
change, rather than behavioral or technological differences," Faith
said.
His study was called "important, insightful and innovative" by Donald
Grayson, a renowned Grotte XVI researcher and professor at the
University of Washington, in an interview with Discovery News.
Faith has previously worked to develop "quantitative methods for
measuring changes in how humans butchered and transported large animal
remains."
He has also done research at the Shompole conservation area in
southern Kenya, where he studied animal bones as a way to understand
living wildlife.
For his dissertation, Faith is researching the extinction of large
mammals in southern Africa. He hopes to determine whether human
hunting pressure or changes to the environment contributed to the
extinction of large mammals.
Including this study, Faith has been published five times in The
Journal of Archeological Science, and has also been featured in
Discovery News. He recently submitted work to the Journal of Human
Evolution. Faith said he hopes to continue researching in East and
southern Africa after he receives his Ph.D. and eventually hopes to
become a professor at a research-oriented university.
"I have had a great time at GWU - I couldn't be happier anywhere
else," Faith said. "I was excited by the many research opportunities
available here in my program and at the National Museum of Natural
History."
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