"Poop is the Perfect Evidence": How Scientists Discovered that Neanderthals Ate Their Veggies

Yet another reason why you should eat your veggies: in 50,000 years, future archaeologists may be examining your fossilized poop.

That's what Ainara Sistiaga and colleagues did at an archaeological dig in Spain to add further support that Neanderthals weren't the purely meat-eating species as their modern day reputation suggested - they were actually veggie lovers, too.

"Poo is the perfect evidence," said Sistiaga to the BBC, "because you're sure that it was consumed."

Fossilised bits of faeces, or "coprolites", which glow under blue light because of their high phosphate content, were found nearby the tell-tale samples with high levels of plant-derived chemicals. (Image: Ainara Sistiaga)

Chemical analysis revealed traces of plant-derived esters, which suggest that Neanderthals had a "significant intake of plants." Read the entire post over at the BBC. (Inset photo: Memo Angeles/Shutterstock)