The Neanderthal Meal: A New Perspective Using Faecal Biomarkers

Ainara Sistiaga; Carolina Mallol; Bertila Galván; Roger Everett Summons

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101045

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Peer-reviewed

Research Article

The Neanderthal Meal: A New Perspective Using Faecal Biomarkers

Ainara Sistiaga ,

* E-mail: msistiag@ull.es

Affiliations Department of Geography and History, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
⨯
Carolina Mallol,

Affiliations Department of Geography and History, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, Instituto Universitario de Bio-Orgánica Antonio González, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
⨯
Bertila Galván,

Affiliation Department of Geography and History, University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
⨯
Roger Everett Summons

Affiliation Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
⨯

The Neanderthal Meal: A New Perspective Using Faecal Biomarkers

Ainara Sistiaga,
Carolina Mallol,
Bertila Galván,
Roger Everett Summons

Published: June 25, 2014
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0101045

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q regarding method

Posted by joeturner on 26 Jun 2014 at 10:29 GMT

I have a couple of questions:

1. How can you be sure that the samples were not contaminated from other layers during the excavation of the site. You say that the site is open and the layer of interest is below the surface, is it not possible that debris from above has affected your sampling?

2. Could not the absence of 5β-stanols in the layer be due to weathering of the soil layer (or some other mechanism)? Could the site not be a mix of faecal material of different species? I am not clear how you can be so definitive that the results you have found are due to Neanderthal diet and no other explanation.

No competing interests declared.

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The Neanderthal Meal: A New Perspective Using Faecal Biomarkers

The Neanderthal Meal: A New Perspective Using Faecal Biomarkers

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q regarding method

Posted by joeturner on 26 Jun 2014 at 10:29 GMT