What kind of food did our ancestors eat millions of years ago has always been a difficult mystery in the scientific community. Scientists in Brazil recently said that through a new technology, scientists can use the tooth fossils of distant and ancient humans to determine the main categories of our ancestors' daily diet.

In the latest issue of Archaeological Science, Sabil Egers, an expert in the laboratory of human biology at the University of San Paulo in Brazil, published their research results. Sabil-Egers said that with the support of Fulbright Foundation, Brazilian scientists made a tentative exploration of this new identification technology. They extracted 4% hydrochloric acid active components and 3 kinds of microfossils from tooth fossils found in Brazil. Through microscopic observation, scientists also found the remains of ancient algae and some plant rocks deposited by plant food. It can be speculated that these ancient people who died millions of years ago once ate marine shellfish and the tubers of some plants. In the future, scientists will also analyze other tooth fossils, which is likely to help scientists discover some ancient plants that have long been extinct before.

The researchers also studied the surface of tooth fossils by using the tooth micro-wear analysis technology. This new research method provides people with a novel three-dimensional visual effect. This technology can measure the height of tens of thousands of points on a surface, thus obtaining the whole structure of the surface of the measured object. Researchers say that understanding the daily diet of extinct early humans will help to understand the evolutionary history of mankind more clearly. Scientists have studied two kinds of early humans, namely, Australopithecus africanus and "Robles". The former lived in southern Africa about 3 million years ago, while the latter lived in the same region about 1 million years later. The researchers found that the dietary structure of these two early humans was very similar, but in the food of Australopithecus africanus, the food that was tough and not easy to bite may account for a larger proportion, while the companion "Robe" may eat more brittle food, such as plant seeds.

Sabil-Egers further explained, "We know the difference between the micro-wear patterns of their teeth through existing species and known foods. When we know that there is a correlation between a certain wear pattern and certain foods, we can infer what kind of food caused the traces left on those tooth fossils. We first focused on two extinct early races. Australopithecus africanus lived in Stekfang Mountain Valley in South Africa about 2.3 million to 3 million years ago. At that time, the vegetation in this area may be denser than it is now, and Australopithecus africanus may spend part of their time in trees. During the investigation, scientists examined the teeth of capuchin monkeys and other monkeys for the first time to identify the traces left by fruits, seeds and other plants on their teeth. By understanding the diet structure of monkeys, the researchers matched several foods with different tooth wear patterns. "

Brazilian scientists who participated in the study also said that when food was abundant, both primitive humans probably liked to eat food that was easy to eat and rich in energy, such as various fruits. This similar phenomenon can be seen in chimpanzees and gorillas who now live in the same geographical area. This is also what people say that animals in the same domain will share food resources most of the year, but when food is insufficient, their food will become very different. At this time, gorillas will live on more resilient foods, such as leaves and plant stems, and their teeth and internal organs allow them to do so. The reproduction of early human diet plays a very important role in understanding the evolutionary pedigree of human beings.