AMERICANALMANAC (Lynn Jenkins) - Ancient teeth suggest betel-nut use in Indonesia 25,000 years ago
Ancient teeth from Indonesia may show betel-nut use 25,000 years ago, pushing a widespread mind-affecting habit deep into humanity’s hunter-gatherer past. Researchers found deep, unusual grooves and chemical traces in ancient teeth from Sulawesi, an island in modern-day Indonesia. They say the evidence fits decades of sucking betel nuts. The remains date as far back […] The post Ancient teeth suggest betel-nut use in Indonesia 25,000 years ago appeared first on American Almanac .
Ancient teeth from Indonesia may show betel-nut use 25,000 years ago, pushing a widespread mind-affecting habit deep into humanity’s hunter-gatherer past. Researchers found deep, unusual grooves and chemical traces in ancient teeth from Sulawesi, an island in modern-day Indonesia. They say the evidence fits decades of sucking betel nuts. The remains date as far back as 25,000 years. If the researchers are right, the discovery captures an early form of a habit now practiced by about 600 million people. A second set of teeth, found about 20 miles east, carried similar marks. Those teeth may be up to 8,000 years old. The research, led by Griffith University archaeology professor Adam Brumm, was published in Science Advances. The team…Open
