No nuts for 'Nutcracker Man': Early human relative apparently chewed grass instead
Monday, May 2, 2011 - 13:50
in Paleontology & Archaeology
(PhysOrg.com) -- For decades, a 2.3 million- to 1.2 million-year-old human relative named Paranthropus boisei has been nicknamed Nutcracker Man because of his big, flat molar teeth and thick, powerful jaw. But a definitive new University of Utah study shows that Nutcracker Man didnt eat nuts, but instead chewed grasses and possibly sedges a discovery that upsets conventional wisdom about early humanitys diet.