Archeologists document first use of maize as food in Mesoamerica: study

Archeologists may have found out when cave-dwelling prehistoric Mesoamericans began eating maize as a staple, according to a new study in Science Advances.

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RESTRICTIONS: Broadcast: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN Digital: NO USE JAPAN, NO USE TAIWAN Archeologists may have found out when cave-dwelling prehistoric Mesoamericans began eating maize as a staple, according to a new study in Science Advances.

Researchers examined the carbon isotope content of 52 skeletons from various rock shelters in Belize.

The bones belonged to a representative sample of men, women and children, and evidence showed they were consuming more and more maize.

Writing in a news release, researchers say pre-maize hunter-gatherers from around 9,000 years ago ate wild animals and plants.

Then, about 4,700 years ago, the population began to consume maize, which made up 30 percent of their diet.

In the following millenia, Mesoamericans adopted sedentary farming and maize consumption increased to 70 percent of the food they ate.

The authors speculated that human selection and spontaneous genetic changes to the plants then led to maize crops to grow bigger cobs, bigger seeds and more seed rows.

RUNDOWN SHOWS: 1.

Ancient shelter rock-dwelling Mesoamericans consumed maize 2.

Carbon isotopes found in skeletons were used to reconstruct Mesoamerican diet 3.

Maize consumption rose as hunter-gatherers transition to agriculturalists 4.

Human selection and occurrent genetic changes led to higher yield maize VOICEOVER (in English): "Archeologists may have found out when cave-dwelling prehistoric Mesoamericans began eating maize as a staple, according to a new study in Science Advances." "Researchers examined the carbon isotope content of 52 skeletons from various rock shelters in Belize.

The bones belonged to a representative sample of men, women and children, and evidence showed they were consuming more and more maize." "Writing in a news release, researchers say pre-maize hunter-gatherers from around 9,000 years ago ate wild animals and plants.

Then, about 4,700 years ago, the population began to consume maize, which made up 30 percent of their diet." "In the following millenia, Mesoamericans adopted sedentary farming and maize consumption increased to 70 percent of the food they ate." "The authors speculated that human selection and spontaneous genetic changes to the plants then led to maize crops to grow bigger cobs, bigger seeds and more seed rows." SOURCES: Science Advances, University of New Mexico https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/23/eaba3245 https://phys.org/news/2020-06-document-maize-mesoamerica.html *** For story suggestions please contact tips@nextanimation.com.tw For technical and editorial support, please contact: Asia: +61 2 93 73 1841 Europe: +44 20 7542 7599 Americas and Latam: +1 800 738 8377