Neanderthals probably cooked their food before eating but would have struggled to eat root vegetables, according to a new study. Geneticists have analysed ancient DNA from the remains of Neanderthals and another ancient human relative, the Denisovans. They found that these prehistoric human ancestors lacked key genes needed to chew hard foods - just like modern humans alive today. Neanderthals, depicted above by actor Ron Perlman in the film Quest for Fire, lacked genes that are thought to be essential for chewing tough raw food and so may have softened their food by cooking it over a fire Chimpanzees, our closest living primate relative, still have these mastication genes as they need to chew tough, raw food.
@highlight
Geneticists at Pennsylvania State University analysed DNA from ancient human relatives to look for genes that are involved in eating and taste
@highlight
Neanderthals lacked genes found in species with powerful jaws like chimps
@highlight
They also had a unique gene involved in detecting bitter chemicals in foods
@highlight
This suggests they enjoyed very different plants from those eaten today
@highlight
Their genes suggest they may have struggled with starchy root vegetables
@highlight
Neanderthals also lacked genes needed to digest lactose from cows' milk
'We have found that this neglected aspect is and was actually quite a common behaviour in recent hunter-gatherers, and it seems very likely to have been prevalent in people like the @placeholder.