Insect consumption was "sporadic and accidental" in Europe, central and eastern Asia. It was more common in tropical regions and in Neanderthal populations. This is the main conclusion of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE). They published research on genomic analysis in 'Science Advances'. They sought to reconstruct the consumption of insects from 9,000 to more than 102,000 years ago. Neanderthals and their consumption of insects are under scrutiny.
They analyzed 745 samples of dental calculus (tartar) from individuals up to 33,000 years old. It preserves traces of DNA from the species regularly consumed in the diet. Modern humans in northern Eurasia did not practice entomophagy regularly. The species of insects that have been identified in the samples suggest that they were consumed accidentally. For example, through the consumption of contaminated water or food.
insect DNA
A presence of insect DNA superior to that found in anatomically modern humans is confirmed. This abundance is comparable to that obtained in Western chimpanzees. These resort to entomophagy as a complement to their diet in the savanna, especially during times of drought. The most abundant DNA remains correspond to the diptera. It is the group of insects to which flies and mosquitoes belong. A recent hypothesis regarding the regular consumption of animal carcasses infested with fly larvae is supported.
«The abundance of mosquito remains reinforces the possibility that the corpses of their prey remained in ponds and swampy areas. "They are ideal environments in which insects lay their eggs." «It is necessary to eat large quantities of insects to compensate for the high caloric expenditure involved in collecting them. In the tropics there is a greater availability of social insects, such as termites and ants. Its biomass and diversity allow sustainable exploitation throughout the year, which even contributes to pest control," they indicate.
Neanderthals and their low insect consumption in Europe would have an explanation. The low availability of insects far from the tropics may have been a key factor in the abandonment of entomophagy in European populations. This would have led to a lower digestion capacity of the insect exoskeleton. Currently, industrial processing allows us to take advantage of its nutritional properties without the need to digest this component. And it allows its mass production in edible insect farms.
Taming insects
The Ancient Population Genomics research group studies the domestication process, mainly using insects as model species. They compare the genomes of insect species recently approved for human consumption with those of specimens extracted from entomological collections.
«We investigate the evolution of domestication in animals. "It can give us information that improves the exploitation of insects for consumption, both as feed for livestock and for human consumption."
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